by Katherine Perez and Todd Herrell

CUNY Prep's first parent-teacher conference of the 2005-06 year was held in late October. A little more than 50 parents came out to get an update on how their children are doing at the midpoint of the cycle.

Halloween is said to be the scariest night in October. But if you are a kid or a parent awaiting a teacher's verdict, or a teacher awaiting a parent's reaction, an October parent-teacher night can be even scarier than a ghost or a goblin.

Below are a student's and a teacher's perspective on the night:

Parent-teacher conference is a day that parents enjoy and kids fear at most schools.

The fear that filled my body in the past was hard to cope with. Every year, the school was crowded and noisy with parents and students. Despite all the noise, all I could hear were the nervous sounds inside my own body — my heart racing, my muscles tightening, my teeth chattering. At my first high school, I knew that my teachers didn't have anything good to say about me. At CUNY Prep, my grades have shot up like I never thought they would. So, parent-teacher conference here is actually exciting. I can hear the laughter and feel the happiness everywhere. There are no signs of fear anywhere.
Katherine Perez
CUNY Prep student

It's sometimes funny to observe the body language of an approaching parent who thinks he or she is about to sit down for a one-on-one seminar by a teacher entitled, “Your child is the reason I want to become a farmer.” The general trend of our parents at CUNY Prep is to come in the door expecting the worst. It goes without saying that their son or daughter has seen some academic hardships in the recent past. The best thing for a teacher on this night is to tell a parent that his or her son or daughter has made education a priority and is doing well. The parent will often take their first full breath of the evening. A few leave so euphoric that I feel like suggesting they should wait a while before getting behind the wheel of a car or operating heavy machinery.
Todd Herrell
CUNY Prep teacher