"If you promise not to believe everything your child says happens at school, I'll promise not to believe everything he says happens at home" - Anonymous
"My dad says I don't have to listen to you!"
"You can't make me!"
"You want me to do what?"
Day after day, Sandy's ears stung with words of her seventh graders. She was beginning to wonder what went on in the homes of these students. No wonder kids didn't respect their teachers. In the first place, it surely sounded as if their parents didn't have any respect for teachers. One child in particular, David, shot remarks at Sandy almost daily. A conference was set up with his dad for the next day. Sandy cringed at the thought of what she'd hear from this man as well.
A sullen Mr. Rankin slipped quietly into the seat of a student's desk. Sandy had positioned it so that she could look down at him from her own desk during the conference. Both began the discussion with hesitancy.
"Mr. Rankin, your son is very bright. So much so that it surprises me you've told him he doesn't have to do anything he doesn't want to do," Sandy said.
"That's not how I heard it," Mr. Rankin said. "David says you refuse to help him when he doesn't understand his work."
"Obviously someone important is missing from this conference," Sandy laughed.
"I can take care of that," Mr. Rankin said, opening the classroom door. "Won't you join us, David?"
Make sure all parties who are involved attend a conference.
Prompt: Some problems I am seeing that may be due to incomplete communication are. . .
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