Looping parents into education plans

Our son's school recently completed the fall parent-teacher conferences that give us some insight into what the teachers plan to cover over the course of the year and any areas we need to help address at home. There was an interesting spin on the discussions this year, as the conference was led by our son.

While the teachers floated around the room, my son walked my husband and I through a self-evaluation of what he has been working on and what he thinks he needs to improve upon. Two of his three teachers came over at some point (one just to observe and the other to chime in about how well he is doing with reading), but the majority of the conference was handled with my son in charge of the conversation.

It was reassuring to know that he understood what he was doing this year, and the self-evaluation bit was fascinating. The teachers made it clear that if we wanted a more traditional discussion, they would schedule that as well.

I've chatted with my son's teachers before about how they address different skill levels in the classroom. It's not an easy task, but I know they have strategies to help with students at every level. Does this mean that my son gets individualized learning? Not really. But I am comfortable with the work that he is doing and am not anywhere near a point to take control of his education through home schooling. 

I have several friends who home school their children and love it - especially because they are able to tailor the work for each child and still meet the standards of each grade level. I'm not sure I have the patience for all that and I am positive my son doesn't want me to be his full-time teacher.

I know that school selection is not an easy choice for any parent - we all want what is best for our child in the long run. But we also need to make sure we are meeting everyone's needs - being both a parent and full-time educator is a big job. 

Are you happy with your child's school? What would you change? Talk about it in the comments.