School puts kids on parent-teacher conference hot seat

DECATUR, Ill. (AP) - A school in central Illinois is taking a new approach to the dreaded parent-teacher conference by putting students on the hot seat.

At Dennis Elementary in Decatur, it's the students who do the talking, presenting parents with grades and progress reports in the presence of their teacher.

Fifth-grade math teacher Jennifer Parks says one student in particular who had been goofing off in class made a big turnaround after having to answer directly to his parents.

Principal Matt Andrews says the idea is also to get students thinking about their weaknesses and how to improve.

He tells the (Decatur) Herald & Review (http://bit.ly/1vqmurA ) that's key to becoming a better student.

Fifth-grader Zariya Graves adds that "it's better than having a nervous breakdown while the teacher talks to your parents."

___

Information from: Herald & Review, http://www.herald-review.com