Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher conferences are an excellent opportunity for both parents and teachers to establish a partnership, which can lead to academic success and set the tone for positive communication. The more parents understand and support what teachers do, the more they are able to help their children.
Here are some tips for parents to help them make the most of this valuable opportunity.
Before the conference
Write down questions you want to discuss such as:
- How is my child doing in class?
- Is my child performing at his or her grade level in math, reading, science, etc.?
- Does my child use time well?
- Does my child follow directions?
- How are my child's work habits?
- Does my child need help in any particular area?
- How much homework do you assign? How much time should my child spend on homework each night?
- What aspects of school does he/she seem to enjoy most?
- What are my child's strengths and weaknesses?
- How does my child get along with classmates?
- Does my child show any leadership qualities?
- What can I do at home to support what you are doing in the classroom?
Talk with your child about the fact that you have a meeting with his or her teacher. Ask the child if he/she has any concerns. Discuss what the child feels are his/her successes, likes, and dislikes about school. Ask if there are any problems you should discuss with the teacher.
Be prepared to talk and listen during the conference. What goes on at home affects how well a child does in school. Be sure to let the teacher know about such key events as a separation or divorce, family illness, new baby, death in the family, loss of a beloved pet, etc. It is not necessary to share all your personal business, but it will help your child's teacher to know about important events that may affect your child's performance.
At the conference
Talk about your child's interests and any special information that he/she wanted discussed.
Make notes about discussion during the conference to review with your child.
Ask the teacher for her/his views on needed improvements. If your child needs additional help, ask if the school or district provides a list of tutors or after-school classes.
Ask the teacher to explain anything you do not understand. Sometimes an educator will use acronyms for special programs, i.e., IEP (Individualized Education Plan), ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), etc.
Summarize your understanding of your child's progress and your child's teacher's comments to make sure you and the teacher are in agreement.
After the conference
Discuss what was said during the conference with your child. Be sure to emphasize any positive comments the teacher made.
Talk with your child about strategies for improvement in academic areas and about other topics such as discipline issues, school activities that might interest your child, work habits, getting along with classmates - whatever topics were discussed during the conference.
Use this as a chance to praise your child (for a project, an activity or just for helping you prepare for the conference) and to demonstrate interest in your child's life.
Follow up on any plan of action agreed to by you and your child's teacher. Stay in touch with the teacher. If you think of additional questions later, send or email a note or call the teacher.
