As a Valley veteran, Tom Steenson has seen patterns emerge from his two decades of parent-teacher conferences. He invites us to sit down for a not-so-hypothetical conference featuring the recurring advice he offers to the parents of his lower school students. In short, Mr. Steenson hopes to encourage parents in their parental authority and to help them identify (or sometimes even invent) opportunities for growth in their young men.

Chapters:

3:25 Encourage parental instincts

7:03 Trust in the long game

9:02 “Better late than early”TM

11:38 Exercise his accountability

20:05 Let him help others

22:48 Don’t eliminate friction

24:05 Beware the schedule

26:36 Help him want to read

Featured opportunities:

Parents Conference: Fostering Our Sons’ Faith at The Heights School (April 12, 2025)

Teaching Essentials Workshop at The Heights School (June 16-20, 2025)

Also on the Forum:

A Guide to Parent-Teacher Conferences by Kyle Blackmer

Partnering with Parents by Michael Moynihan

Communicating with Parents by Kyle Blackmer

Dumb Phones, Feature Phones, and the New Tech Landscape featuring Alvaro de Vicente