ABSTRACT
Many teachers have had the experience of scheduling a parent conference to discuss the failure of a student completing homework, only to have the parent not show up for the conference. The author had called home to discuss a child’s disrespectful attitude, only to have the parent berate him on the telephone. Students are products of their environment. The challenges that confront students who do not come from a supportive home environment remain with them throughout their schooling career. Some students come into our classes with values and habits already instilled in them that are counterproductive to those we are trying to instill. Teachers need to remain aware of the challenges that some of our students are having to overcome. They have to provide coaching in areas that might extend beyond traditional curricular standards. Some students need teachers be their cheerleader more than they need the teachers to be their instructor.
