Hinsdale High School Teachers Association

Conferences are a mix of experiences for teachers. There is the experience of being at school from 7:30am to 9:30pm, not seeing our loved ones or tucking in our own children that day. There is the stress of meeting so many new people, getting one’s books completely up to date, sitting in an uncomfortable student desk for hours, straining to be heard over the hundreds of other conferences going on, the hours of doing so invariably leading to one’s voice being hoarse the next day. And of course, there’s the part about being at school for approximately 14 hours and having to be back the next day at 7:30am prepared to teach.

On the other hand, there is the interaction with parents where teachers get to celebrate the experiences we share with their children; their strengths, their weaknesses, and all the things both good and bad they tell their parents about us that we never hear in class. There’s the gratitude that is expressed in person, the frustration shared, the excitement of planning for their child’s future college major. There’s also the sheer joy of learning from a parent that we did actually make a connection with their child - even if there was no way the student would tell us so in class for fear of looking like the teacher’s pet or somehow uncool by expressing a fondness for our subject.

Regardless of the experiences shared, what amazes me is the sheer volume of this important contact with parents that teachers are able to achieve in one event. During parent-teacher conferences this year, teachers from Hinsdale Central achieved the following number of parent contacts:

Number of parents seen: 1,000
Number of conferences held: 6,270
Number of “un-scheduled” conferences: 932

Total number of conferences: 7,202

These statistics reflect both the “scheduled” conferences that happen the day of the event as well as “un-scheduled” conferences yet to occur. These 932 “un-scheduled” conferences will take place in the form of additional phone calls, letters or email sent by teachers during their planning time, lunch time and personal time. Approximately two-thirds of Central teachers have un-scheduled conferences yet to complete, with approximately six-percent having more than 20 such additional conferences to complete.

Central has a long tradition of educational excellence. Numbers like this demonstrate both the sheer dedication of  Hinsdale Central’s teachers as well as the support by the community for what they do in their classrooms.

One of the great things about working at Hinsdale Central is the support the community has for what HHSTA’s professional educators do every day in their classrooms. Case in point: Central’s PTO. This year the PTO has gone out of its way to show appreciation for Central’s teachers. This week that appreciation took the form of pumpkin pie. Not a couple of pies in the faculty lunch room, or a few well placed pies, but a pie for every single teacher and staff member. Now that’s a lot of pie!

Below is a portion of the message the PTO distributed to our staff:

On behalf of the PTO, we would like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. We hope that you enjoy your pumpkin pie. This is also a thank you to your families. We know that your commitment to our students is sometimes hard on your own families.

Or motto “Where excellence is Central” is because of your commitment and heartfelt concern for the students at Hinsdale Central. The parents are very grateful for your time and efforts that have helped to shape students of character at Hinsdale Central. The character traits that are being reinforced by you will serve our children well in the future.

On behalf of HHSTA-Central, thanks to our PTO for their generous gift, their expression of genuine caring for our members and their families, and their abundant support.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Often we feel our administration is none too quick to recognize the hard work HHSTA members do day in and day out in support of our students. That’s why it is important to give them credit when they do so. Kudos to our principal for his letter to the editor in support of American Education Week published this week in the Hinsdale Doings:

The faculty and staff of Hinsdale Central High School deserve the enthusiastic appreciation and support of the Hinsdale area communities. This is American Education Week, an opportunity to celebrate the dignity of the profession and the important role of schools in our communities. I have had the opportunity in my career to serve students and families in six highly-performing high schools in the western suburbs of Chicago, and I testify to the special talents and extraordinary commitment of our current Hinsdale Central faculty and staff in their quest to enrich the lives of students by helping them take steps to fulfill their dreams.

I encourage the students and parents in the community to communicate their appreciation of the efforts of the faculty and staff. Your support is highly valued. For the adults at 55th and Grant, serving students is more than a job. Each week I hear from students and parents about individual faculty and staff who make very special, above and beyond, efforts on behalf of students. Every day our faculty and staff make hundreds of complex decisions to anticipate or respond to the needs of the hundreds of unique individual students.

In our current era, the typical measures of a fine high school are comparatively high standardized test scores, athletic championships, stellar achievements in the arts, and college matriculation. But parents know that they want more from the high school experience of their students. They want the school to cultivate character and attend to the social and emotional development of their sons and daughters. The fine faculty and staff of Hinsdale Central High School strive every day to see the whole person in order to create an outstanding experience for every student, and we achieve this to a remarkable degree.

It is an honor to work with such a fine faculty and staff.

Kevin Pobst, principal