There is a time and a place for everything and at the Rav Teitz Mesivta Academy the belief is that when it’s time for autumn academic conferences, the students ought to be meeting with their teachers on their own. “The model of Parent-Teacher conferences works well in the younger grades,” said one faculty member, “but at the high school level, we believe that our students ought to own their own performances and meet with their teachers personally.”

The Student-Teacher meetings took place on Election Day when most schools had off. 100% of students turned out for the individualized conferences with each and every one of their teachers to talk about the year so far, review grades and collaborate on action items and strategies for increased success. Both sides of the desk were thrilled with the results of the day and one rebbe commented how refreshing it was to have an opportunity to sit down in a formal manner that was still geared for the individual student and how it clearly bolstered the student’s sense of maturity and responsibility. That sentiment was echoed by a tenth grader who said that, “I know that I need to own my work. I am proud of what I’ve accomplished so far this year and I feel empowered to have the talk with my rebbe that will lead to even greater accomplishments. I really loved it.”