The UFT’s five parent conferences, held in each borough in the fall, have a common theme: strengthening the connection between home and school. These five parents share what they most enjoyed, what they will bring back to their school communities and what they can apply to their own family lives from this year’s conferences.

Bronx

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NAME: Veronica Mellender

CHILDREN: Grandchildren, ages 12 and 18

ROLES: PTA member at granddaughter's middle school

What was your favorite workshop at the conference?

I’m very excited about the CTE programs in the high schools, so UFT Vice President Sterling Roberson’s workshop on career and technical education was very informative.

What’s something new you learned at that workshop?

Sterling spoke about how college is not for everyone and not to feel bad if your child is not going to college. I have a granddaughter in middle school who is probably going to gravitate toward a CTE program, so we’ve all got to learn as much as possible and see how we can make the right choices.

What’s something from the conference you’re going to take back to share with other parents?

We all must work together and stay educated, attend various workshops from various organizations, network with each other and be supportive and caring of each other.

What’s something you learned at the conference that you’ll use as a parent with your kids?

At the CTE workshop, I learned to plan ahead, plan now. It’s the 7th-grade marks that are going to count for high school, so it’s important to start now to prepare for high school.

Who was the most interesting person you met or spoke with?

At the exhibitor fair, I was proud to meet David Pascall, the TechConnect instructor of the New York Public Library. It’s very important because there’s still a digital divide in the community.

How was this conference different from previous ones you’ve gone to?

Over time more men have been coming, more grandparents and even a few great-grandparents. Our conference is like coming to a family celebration. We call our conferences “summits” because if you look at the definition of a summit, it’s where heads of state, dignitaries and special leaders come together to meet and network. And we consider the heads of state to be the parents, grandparents and education activists — those to us are dignitaries and special leaders.

See more photos in the UFT Bronx Parent Summit 2015 gallery.

Brooklyn

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NAME: Tameka Nurse-Carter

CHILDREN: Four children, ages 7, 10, 16 and 17

ROLES: PTA member at elementary school and high school

What was your favorite workshop at the conference?

Community Schools 101.

What’s something new you learned at that workshop?

My son is in a District 75 school that shares a campus with a community school, so that allows the whole community on that campus to take part in the additional services. It allows my son to have opportunities for mental health services.

What’s something from the conference you’re going to take back to share with other parents?

That any school can become a community school if all parties, including the parents, are working together in collaboration for the children to reach their goals.

What’s something you learned at the conference that you’ll use as a parent with your kids?

From the workshop on depression in youth, I learned about what kids go through — what they’re feeling, how we can support them and how as parents there’s a lot of things that go on with them that we don’t know about. It helped me learn to relate with them better, to learn the different cues they give. My daughter might be upset, but she might not be upset about me — I need to take a step back and look and come to her a different way.

Who was the most interesting person you met or spoke with?

There was a parent from a community school, PS 165. She talked about how her school wasn’t doing well and was slated to be closed but her children were given an opportunity to start over again, to fix the problem by becoming a community school. She got very emotional.

How was this conference different from previous ones you’ve gone to?

Every year there are new topics, new workshops so we have an opportunity to learn.

See more photos in the Brooklyn parents conference 2015 gallery.

Manhattan

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NAME: Sandra Hyatt

CHILDREN: Daughter, 14, and granddaughter, 6

ROLES: PTA co-president at high school; treasurer of the Presidents' Council for Manhattan High Schools

What was your favorite workshop at the conference?

“Beautiful Me,” which was about teaching people about building self-esteem and positive behaviors in girls.

What’s something new you learned at that workshop?

My daughter is in high school, which involves her traveling more. Yes, they have to grow up and yes, we have to cut the apron strings, but I have asked her to be in communication with me, to tell me where she is and what’s going on. Being in that workshop and hearing the presenter say the same thing about herself and her son, I’m finding that other parents share the same concerns.

What’s something from the conference you’re going to take back to share with other parents?

I went to a workshop on cyberbullying. Technology is good, but it can be negative, too. One thing the presenter said is that once you learn to catch up with what your child is doing, they switch it around — it’s always changing.

What’s something you learned at the conference that you’ll use as a parent with your kids?

Now I know I’m not being paranoid when I ask my daughter to check in with me or text me that she got to school in time. This blow-by-blow account is a good thing!

Who was the most interesting person you met or spoke with?

I had the opportunity to role-play with the presenters at the cyberbullying workshop. The scenario was being called into school because of something my grandchild was doing on her cell phone. One of the presenters became the guidance counselor and the other was the grandchild. Even though I didn’t have any interaction with them before, we all learned from the activity.

How was this conference different from previous ones you’ve gone to?

It has grown, and the quality of what’s offered in the workshops has improved. It’s gotten better in every aspect — the quality, the organization, even the food!

See more photos in the UFT Manhattan Parent Conference 2015 gallery.

Queens

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NAME: Nancy Chen

CHILDREN: One 13-year-old daughter still in school

ROLES: PTA member

What was your favorite workshop at the conference?

The workshop about moving to high school.

What’s something new you learned at that workshop?

We have to think about what’s different about regular high schools and specialized high schools. We have to support our kids no matter what kind of high school they go to.

What’s something from the conference you’re going to take back to share with other parents?

As an immigrant parent, when I first came to New York City, I didn’t know anything about the education system here. But eventually I learned that different high schools offer different courses. We really have to look at our kids’ interests and what they want to do and what they want to be. A lot of kids would like to go to specialized high schools, but it’s not always a good fit for every kid. We have to look for the right school for them.

What’s something you learned at the conference that you’ll use as a parent with your kids?

There was a workshop about how to talk to teenagers. We parents work, we feel stress, we come home and we have to deal with our teenagers. It’s important to talk to teenagers in the right way — that’s very important for all parents.

Who was the most interesting person you met or spoke with?

It was a parent who had gone to the different UFT parent conferences in the different boroughs. She said this one was very special, one of the best she attended!

How was this conference different from previous ones you’ve gone to?

This year, there was a new workshop about stress reduction. The speaker talked about how to incorporate traditional Eastern medicine and exercises into Western life.

See more photos in the Queens Parent Conference 2015 gallery.

Staten Island

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NAME: Iris Perez

CHILDREN: Two children still in school, ages 13 and 14

ROLES: PTA member in elementary school

What was your favorite workshop at the conference?

The one about the state ELA and math tests.

What’s something new you learned at that workshop?

I learned how the test changes from 3rd to 8th grade and what they’re asking for from grade to grade. We compared the old tests to the new tests and how they have been changing.

What’s something from the conference you’re going to take back to share with other parents?

Parents send their kids to school and don’t know what their kids are going through. They say, “It’s OK” when they’re going to take the tests, but you have to get involved. Ask questions of your kids about how ready they are. Sit with them and talk with them about what’s on the tests and strategies. With the materials I got at the workshop, I really have something in my hands that I can use to show them how to work it out.

What’s something you learned at the conference that you’ll use as a parent with your kids?

Instead of waiting for parent-teacher conferences, you should meet the teacher on the first day of school. I send my phone number and email and I say, “Call me any time.” Don’t hide anything from me; whatever my kid is doing, let me know.

Who was the most interesting person you met or spoke with?

One of the speakers was a police officer who spoke about drug abuse and the increase from 2010 to now. Coming from him, it was very strong. Some parents don’t have any idea what kind of drugs are out there.

How was this conference different from previous ones you’ve gone to?

I always look forward to going because I always go to different workshops. You learn so much.

See more photos in the Staten Island Parent Conference 2015 gallery.