Hi Meta,
   
  No I'm still here. I know that many schools do make accommodations. I immediately regreted saying parents had to come in the daytime for parent teacher conferences. They don't of course. I was thinking of supportive services mostly, especially family counseling and medical or mental health conferences. Trying to help set these up for parents who work felt frustrating sometimes. I'm really glad to hear parents are getting more help learning how to get the most out of meetings. 
   
  It's kind of sad that there are so many wonderful teachers out there, yet every time I talk with minority populations (I'm white, but write for an African American newspaper) many parents express extreme frustration with teachers and schools. I always feel like they're unlucky because most of the teachers I've worked with were similar to the ones you describe. I guess no profession is without its inept practitioners. Maybe with more personal development courses for staff, this problem will disappear. It was easy to see by the tone of that article on parental failure, that some people simply haven't got a clue how complex things can be in the trenches. 
   
  Thanks for responding,
  Carole Ann   


A society which muzzles its poets risks going to the dogs. (Carole Borges)
                                                    
  Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to 
make your soul grow." (Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. 1923-2007)


       
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