Concordia’s Student-Led Conferences are an opportunity for parents to hear directly from their child about what they are learning in the classroom, how they’re making friends, and what their interests are. 

The Bolt spoke with parents and students about their impressions of Student-Led Conferences.

“We are thoroughly impressed with their teachers, and how much our students have grown even just this year,” said Pierre (Nora and Elise’s father).

“While you might get nervous, at the end you feel happy. My conference went well. My proudest thing was my reading, because my parents taught me how to read,” said Elise (G2). 

“Happy”, Nora (Reception) said when asked how she felt presenting to her parents, adding, “my teacher is nice.”

“The SLCs are so fun, and they are so much more enriching than a traditional conference. It's wonderful to see the kids' excitement and their pride in sharing their work, and it's really fabulous to see them take ownership and show us what they've been doing,” said Tori (Nora and Elise’s mother).

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“In Japan there's nothing like the SLC, so it was my first time experiencing a student-led conference. I'm very impressed, and I'm very very proud of my son,” said Hiroshi (Hajime’s father).

“I'm happy to come here and just show my parents what I've done for this whole school year. The best part is that I can show my parents about all of the things that I did, like 3D printing in STEM class and playing the xylophone in music class,” said Hajime (G6)

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“From the parents’ perspective, I feel very impressed with what our student presented today. This included all the material the student has been studying, and especially we discovered which areas our child has progressed during this year, and what she’s achieved. The teacher works together with both the parents and the student to explain in which areas she needs to spend more time to do well on upcoming tests,” said Tuan (father of Bibi and Henry).

“I feel good when I present, because I get to tell my parents how well I'm doing and all the things I like and don't like, which helps me fix those problems. My parents will also know and be like ‘oh I can help you with that.’ So I feel really good when I did the student conference, because I told my parents what I liked and didn't like, and how I can improve,” said Bibi (G4).

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“It was really great to hear our son talk about his experience at school and what he is learning. We even had a chance to compete to see who can solve a math problem fast, and he did great! He did a great job, and we are thankful for the amazing teachers that are working with him,” said Filip (father of Mateo).

“I talked about what I like and what I don't, because I want my parents to know about this,” said Mateo (G4).

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“The SLC by Jooeon was a great opportunity for us to learn more about what he has been doing in school, what has become his interest recently, and what kind of new talent he has found along his learning journey. We believe that it was a great chance for Jooeon as well to look back at his plan from the beginning of the school year and assess his accomplishments so far in the process of preparing for the SLC. Most of all, we are so proud of Jooeon for his effort to plan, prepare and lead the SLC with confidence and share his thoughts openly with us,” said Sinwook, father of Jooeon (G8).

“I’m happy that the SLC gave me an opportunity to let my parents know that I am doing well in school, managing time efficiently to do my schoolwork and have free time, so they won’t be worried,” said Jooeon. 

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“I think SLCs are a meaningful time to see what my students are learning. It’s really a fun and educational experience for both of us. This SLC makes the parent and the student connect with each other and actually get to know each other better. This is especially important during the adolescent development process in middle school,” said Junghee, Hyewan and Jungwon’s mom, adding “I’m helping our students by making them go to sleep early.” 

“I think the SLC is a time where we could actually tell our parents what we are learning about and what we are most proud of. I think it is a meaningful time, because we get to communicate more. It gives us a chance to talk to our parents about school,” said Hyewon (G6).

“I think that the student-led conference is a summary of daily life in middle school. It includes all of my friends’ names who I have bonded and formed relationships with, and it has all the things I have learned and I am proud of. It reminds me of my development and the proud things I've done, and the opportunity to share it with my parents is an awesome thing. I think that I will cherish this memory when I'm older and remember the good time I had with my family,” said Jungwon (G6).

Learn more about Concordia’s Middle School and Elementary School programs.