If I hadn't decided to quit teaching math 20 years ago, I might be attending meetings of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and I still have enough teacher in me to be intrigued by the title and description of one of the workshops at an NCTM meeting this week in Atlanta.

The presentation is "Parents Are From Venus, Or Is It Mars?" Here's the description as it's printed in the program book:

"Actually, parents live among us, here on Earth. Parents are one of our most precious resources as teachers. And, like any precious resource, they must be mined with the right tools. Like a pickaxe. Okay, well, maybe not that. But come have some fun with us as we talk about the very important issue of parents' involvement." 

Sounds like an entertaining and informative discussion that would have been useful to me when I was working at Boone Grove Junior-Senior High School.  I still have regrets about my interactions with a parent who was also a school custodian and a parent who swore to me her daughter would NEVER cheat on a test. 

The presenter is Joshua Fisher, who has been researching parent involvement and working on various parent involvement programs for several years. The presentation is on Thursday, March 22 at 12:30 p.m.   Alas, I'll be in Washington, eating at my desk.