Conferences

This week was conferences.  I really do not enjoy them.  Mostly for the fact that it is the longest day on the planet!  We have conferences on Thursdays.  That morning we have students for half of the day.  They leave at 11.  At my school, the theory of the day is to do "team-building" activities.  That morning, the teams, since I'm at a middle school, does activities (should be academic related) with students.  Then we have a pep rally for about an hour.  This is a morning of running around, and in a way, wasting time.  Now, I'm all for having fun and doing fun things with students, but this is a chaotic morning where teachers are just trying to survive until students leave and we can start conferences.  Some teams plan better than others, but it is still hectic for those that do plan well.  We've thought about having the students go to classes, but nothing much would get done.  Shortening classes would be pointless because we wouldn't be able to really teach anything.  The students are already excited about the day, and have been for the last 3 days, gaining in excitement.  So, it's been a long week up until this point.  Years ago, we had an option of changing the times to teaching all day, but having two later nights of conferences, going from about 3:30-6:30.  Then we would get an entire day off, instead of having to come in for a half day work day.  Staff voted that down because they didn't want to teach 2 full days, and have to do conferences.  Though, the time of conferences would be shortened to 3 hours apiece, instead of about 7 and a half straight.  I would much prefer the 2 days, and day off, or something like it.  Then we wouldn't "waste" time, and more energy.  Maybe I'm crazy.  I don't know.