By Mackenzie Wallace
The familiar blue and orange halls of Madison may have been filled with students by day, however it was the parents that shuffled from class to class last Tuesday night during this year’s Meet the Teacher Night.
The evening began with an introduction of Principal Aceves-Torres and the presentation of colors by JROTC, followed a brief PTSA meeting in the Madison PAC. The PTSA meeting discussed issues such as opportunities for student scholarships, Drive for Five, and a statement issued earlier in the year by the Texas Education Agency regarding the decrease in required EOC exams.
Additionally, this year the PTSA has been pushing for students to join the Parent Teacher Student Association. The meeting concluded by Debra Aceves-Torres, Madison principal, and class rotations began, allowing parents to meet their student’s teachers.
“[I wanted] to be able to meet the teachers that are responsible for my child’s education this year and to see if there’s any information I need to know about the class,” Nathan Mai, Madison parent, said. “[I need to know] if there are any concerns so far with how my child is doing in the class.”
Parents moved to each of their student’s classes and were given opportunities to meet the teachers. Many teachers went over a brief run-through of the material in their course, this year’s expectations, and addressed any questions brought up. A major goal of Meet the Teacher Night is to establish communication between the parents, students, and teachers.
“I really wanted to stress open communication, that parents are able to contact me via email at any time,” Lauren McDonald, Madison English teacher, said.
Events such as Meet the Teacher are implemented to get parents further involved in their student’s education. It keeps them informed and from there, parents may assist the student in reaching educational success.
“It’s up to the student to want to better themselves or not, but I do believe that parents can provide help and encouragement to give the student a push forward,” McDonald stated.
The outcome of the evening was a smashing success, with both parents and students leaving that night better informed and prepared for this upcoming year.