Getting Ready for Your Teacher Conference

Building the Educational Team

 

 

 

For students to do the best that they can in school, teachers and parents need to work together as a team. Each brings different resources to the effort. Parents know their children better than anyone, and teachers know best how to teach children. Together you can really contribute to a child’s learning environment.

The parent-teacher conference is a great way to build the educational team. The first official parent-teacher conferences are in October. Even if you have already met with your teacher, the conferences will take place after the teacher has had some time to observe your child in action.

Getting Ready for the Meeting

Now is the time to get together and work out the very best way to support your student. And it’s important to spend some time getting ready.

Treat the parent-teacher conference as you would a business meeting. That means you have some homework to do so that you can participate fully.

1. Make sure that the proposed time is convenient and adequate for both you and the teacher.

2. Are there other participants who might be of value to the meeting? For example, a reading specialist who your child has worked with. Ask if it would be appropriate for them to attend the meeting.

3. Spend some time thinking about your student’s strengths and weaknesses. Review last year’s report cards and test results. Was there any subject that your student had problems with last year? Any particular kind of material (e.g., math word problems)?

4. Check out the homework from this year. How is your child doing so far?

5. What is your child saying about school this year? How does he feel about the teacher? Remember that the “chemistry” between your child and her teacher will be different every year. Some “matches” will be better than others.

6. Also review in your own mind how your child works best. What subjects does she like the most and the least? What kind of activities interest him? What are the best methods of motivating her in your experience? Keep in mind that the interactions between the teacher and your child will have a different dynamic.

7. Does your child need any special accommodations?

8. Prepare a written list of questions that you want to ask the teacher?

    - Teaching philosophy

    - Discipline methods

    - Best way to stay in contact (telephone, email, notes, meetings)

Meeting Day

Make sure you can get there on time and without rushing. Prepare yourself mentally for the meeting. Try to give your some time to collect your thoughts and put aside any other distractions before the meeting.

It’s easy to feel a little anxious about a parent-teacher conference. Try to remember that you and the teacher are both working on the same team.

The Conference

Treat the conference as you would a business meeting. Enter into it with a positive, but serious attitude. Let the teacher take the lead and hear her out. You may hear things that will influence your thinking. Add your comments politely. The teacher will almost always appreciate your input.

A critical evaluation of your child can be difficult to hear. Try not to take it personally. Remember that you are both wanting to do the best for your child. If  the teacher’s comments are way outside of your own observations, don’t get angry. Ask for specific examples of behavior or circumstances and offer your own insights. Try to use a “problem-solving” approach to find out what is going on.

Work out a plan for helping your student. Listen to the teacher’s expectations. Ask how you can help to reinforce at home what the teacher is teaching in school.

Take notes so you can remember what you talked about. It will help you to reflect on the meeting later.

Follow up

Talk to your child about the conference. Let him know what he is doing well first and then put any problems into that context. Tell her that you and the teacher have a plan to help and ask for the child’s input into that plan.

Follow up with the teacher at regular intervals. In that way, you can make any needed corrections to your plan as the student progresses.

Also keep in regular touch with your child. Read with your child. Ask them how things are going at school. Ask for details. Many children respond with “Good” or “OK.” You need to how things really are.

Get involved in the school. Children get a strong message when they see parents on the campus and in the classroom. Help with a special class project. Go on a field trip. Attend parent club meetings. Help in the library. There are lots of ways to contribute.