ESL Podcast 582 – A Parent-Teacher Conference

Ms. Vasquez: Hello, Mr. Polo. I’m Ms. Vasquez. Please have a seat.

Mr. Polo: Thank you.

Ms. Vasquez: In this parent-teacher conference, I want to go beyond Marco’s report cards and his standardized¹ test scores to talk about his general performance in the classroom.

Mr. Polo: That’s great. I want to know how he’s doing.

Ms. Vasquez: Marco is a good student. He’s attentive² in class, a hard worker, and hands in his homework on time. Here’s his portfolio³, if you want to take a look at his classroom work.

Mr. Polo: This is great. Are there any areas he needs to work on?

Ms. Vasquez: Marco is a good student, but he does sometimes misbehave. He often has disagreements with other students and loses his temper. I think he needs to work on his social skills.

Mr. Polo: Well, I don’t think that’s the most important thing, do you? His academics are the most important and he seems to be doing well in his subjects.

Ms. Vasquez: It’s true that academics are important, but learning to work cooperatively with other people is important, too, if he wants to get ahead in life, don’t you think?

Mr. Polo: I’ll have a talk with him. I’m sure you’ll see an improvement.

Ms. Vasquez: I appreciate you taking this seriously. Again, Marco is a good student and it’s a pleasure to have him in my class.

Mr. Polo: I’m glad to hear that. Good-bye.

Ms. Vasquez: Have a good afternoon.


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

1 standardized   

adj.标准化的

参考例句：

• We use standardized tests to measure scholastic achievement. 我们用标准化考试来衡量学生的学业成绩。
• The parts of an automobile are standardized. 汽车零件是标准化了的。

2 attentive   

adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的

参考例句：

• She was very attentive to her guests.她对客人招待得十分周到。
• The speaker likes to have an attentive audience.演讲者喜欢注意力集中的听众。

3 portfolio   

n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位

参考例句：

• He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
• He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。