Productive Parent-Teacher Conferences: A Primer
Parent-teacher conferences may seem intimidating, but they don’t have to be. After all, you and your child’s teacher share the common goal of helping your child succeed. Each conference is a new opportunity to develop an action plan for your child’s success.
There are a few things you can do to ensure that both you and the teacher get the most out of the conference.
Do Your Homework
The best way to be a part of your child’s success is by becoming familiar with what he or she is learning. Play an active role in their education by staying on top of their grades.
Keep a file of your child’s work, including homework assignments and test questions. Check in with your child routinely to help develop good organizational skills – it’s amazing how quickly papers can get shuffled or lost.
Doing this help make sure there are no surprises at your conference. It will also help you familiarize yourself with the grade level curriculum and standards.
You can also prepare by maintaining an open dialogue between yourself and your child. Be sure to ask them questions about what they are learning and where they might be struggling.
Set a Goal
Before your conference, make sure you have a focused goal and know what you want to achieve. Write down your questions ahead of time and prioritize them. Put the most important questions first and provide your child’s teacher with a copy. This way, if you run out of time the questions can still be addressed later.
Areas you may want to touch on include curriculum, grading, and enrichment opportunities. Additionally, you may want to learn more about your child’s behavior. Finally, ask for insights about how you can help your child at home.
Remain Positive and Respectful
Make sure you arrive at your parent-teacher conference on-time and prepared. Introduce yourself, providing your first and last name, as well as your child’s name.
During the conference, interact with the teacher in a positive, respectful manner. Remember that you both share the common goal of your child’s educational success.
It’s important to be open to receiving honest feedback, even if it is negative. When faced with negative feedback, approach the challenge together. As a team, work to find the solution that best benefits your child.
Ask for Clarification
The field of education is filled with terms and acronyms that can become confusing. Be sure to ask for clarification if the instructor uses a word or phrase you’re unfamiliar with.
Additionally, don’t be afraid to take notes throughout the conference. This will help you recall important talking points later.
Create an Action Plan
The final step is to put together an action plan for moving forward. Throughout the conference, you’ve likely discussed several areas where your child has been successful. Additionally, the teacher may have recommended areas for improvement.
Using your notes as a guide, decide how you will proceed. What changes need to be made? How will progress be measured?
Once you and your child’s teacher have come to an agreement, stay in touch. Make sure you follow through on your end, and keep an open dialogue.
