For many parents, getting their children prepared for a new school year can be a trying process. But this year, some parents in Shanghai are complaining about overly lengthy meetings required by certain local schools.

In a recent article published in the Shanghai Morning Post, one parent complained about being in a Saturday morning parents' meeting that dragged on for three hours. According to the Post, this meeting included a lengthy lecture on how parents could help their children develop good habits and manage the transition into a new school year - among many other topics. The notes taken by this parent, according to the Post, filled 10 pages of A4-sized paper.

Recent reports suggest that this extended meeting isn't an isolated case. Three- and four-hour lecture-style parents' meetings are now becoming more common across Shanghai's primary and middle schools.

So far, parents are split on these meetings. Some see the instructions offered at these events as helpful when it comes to supporting their child's education at home. Other parents though see these meetings as a waste of time. Many in this camp would rather learn about the school's curriculum than sit through a lecture on parenting skills.

Obviously, parents should share responsibility for helping students develop good study and life habits. But since every child is different, the information delivered at lectures like those mentioned above may only be applicable to a limited portion of students.

Differing family structures and parental attitudes will lead to different habits and traits among children. Like all human beings, children have their own strengths and weaknesses. Single children who grow up in a nuclear family or surrounded by extended family members can be self-centered - but they can also be more confident and assertive. And, as many know, children can also easily learn good and bad habits from their parents.

If schools want to give parents a leg up when it comes to building good behaviors in their children, they should do so on an individual basis. They should first learn about the student and then come up with strategies tailored to each child's personality and characteristics. All sides could also benefit from home visits by teachers, which could allow them to witness firsthand their students' living conditions.

On a similar note, teachers should meet with parents on a face-to-face basis to focus on information that is relevant to their child. Big lectures that offer sweeping overviews of child rearing and education might not be practical. In fact, I fear that they could make preexisting problems worse.

On a separate note, the development and advancement of technology means that there are more effective and efficient ways for teachers to deliver information to parents. For example, schools can post information online where parents can access it at their convenience.

Of course, this does not mean that parents' meetings don't have their place in the school year. But if parents are starting to complain, this may be a sign that schools should abandon their tedious lectures and start looking for better ways to get parents, students and teachers on the same page.