SCENARIO 1 Mr. & Mrs. Johnson’s 6th grade son is failing most subjects. Records show that he has been struggling for several years. Mr. Johnson wants him tested for a learning disability. The mother thinks he just needs to work harder. The parents begin to disagree during the conference. What will you do?

SCENARIO 2 Ms. Castiglione is angry that her daughter is failing English and wants her out of your class. (She get A’s in everything else, by the way.) The parent thinks you’re too young to be teaching and tells you so. “How will you respond?”

SCENARIO 3 Mr. & Mrs. Smith don’t allow their children to do homework because the children have so many other extracurricular activities to attend. Alicia passes all her in-class assignments and tests. She never does homework even though you require it. How will you address both homework issues with the parents?

SCENARIO 4 Mrs. Expediadotcom cries when she sees that her son is struggling in 9th grade work. She says that she doesn’t know what to do with him- she’s tried all the social services, and they keep telling her he’s just depressed. She says that he would do better if his Dad were around. What is your response?

SCENARIO 5 “Our daughter Matilda is gifted and we want her in the gifted class!” In actuality, Matilda ‘borrows’ answers from other students and is not excelling in her work at all. Her parents also think your rules are too strict. Which issue will you address with her parents, and how?

SCENARIO 6 Thomas has been showing signs of being behaviorally challenged since the first day of school. The cumulative folder shows that he was once using medication for ADHD, but his mother refuses to give it to him now. He has not been able to stay on task very much in class, so his work is suffering. What will you say to his mother?

SCENARIO 7 The parents of a 3rd grader pressure you to make their child work harder so that she will qualify for gifted classes the following year. They want more homework and more intense classwork for her. How will you address their requests?

SCENARIO 8 Anne kept telling you that her mother would not come to the conference no matter how much you contacted her. You still give her mother an appointment and sure enough, Ms. Jolowski didn’t show. The next day at school, Anne is among the small group of students whose parents didn’t attend conferences and she is crying. What will you say to Anne and how will you get her mother to have a conference?

SCENARIO 9 Juan is living with grandparents along with his 4 other brothers and sisters. When the grandfather comes to the conference, it is clear that he does not understand English very well. He says that he did not finish high school . You need to explain to him how to help Juan at home. How will you do it?

SCENARIO 10 You have a high school student that will not be able to finish the semester before her child is born. The mother wants you to prepare all the semester work so that the girl can finish it at home while she is on “maternity leave.” She also wants you to give her advice about social services for the girl. What will you tell the mother?

SCENARIO 11 It is the last day of the conference; your last appointment was set for 12:45 to 1:00. You have a private 1:15 appointment to attend. Two sets of parents show up at 1:00 and say that when they called the office at 10:00, the secretary told them to come (even though their appointments had been the day before) and you would see them. What can you do so that the parents’ needs are met?

SCENARIO 12 When you show Ms. Carmen her child’s grades, she begins to slap him in the face and yell at him about how poorly he has done. She says he’s too smart to be failing. What should you say and do?

SCENARIO 13 Not many of your parents are coming to the conferences. You haven’t had anyone show up for the last 2 hours, so you decide to sit in the lounge with the other teachers who have ‘no shows.’ About 20 minutes later, the principal announces over the intercom that you need to go to your room because a parent has been waiting in your room for you for 10 minutes. What’s the best way to handle this with both the parent and the principal?