The parent teacher conference is an opportunity for both parents and teachers to discuss a child’s abilities and social emotional characteristics. These are sometimes awkward but it’s so hard to find dedicated time to just talk about your child, so I encourage parents to take advantage of them. Typically I feel like I’m taking away from a teacher’s valuable time when I flag them to discuss things either at pickup or drop-off, so I view the parent teacher conference as a no-pressure meeting to focus on the hidden side of my child. After all, we know that the kiddos save their best selves for school, not us.
Tip #1: Have a discussion agenda for your parent teacher conference
Just as you would have an agenda for meetings you host, you should have an idea of what to discuss with the teacher. Here are must-cover items:
- Your child’s progress and growth (what new skills has he/she learned? what development opportunities exist? where do they struggle?)
- Proposed solutions for any growth areas or stumbling blocks
- Discussion around any behavioral issues/stories regarding other children in the classroom
- Action plan for addressing your wishlist item(s) (i.e. what you want your child to learn that may not be covered in the classroom)
Tip #2: Remember the bigger picture
If this is the first time you’re meeting your child’s teacher in a 1:1 manner, use this opportunity to:
- Ask questions and listen actively
- Share ideas for supporting learning or supplementing learning
- Establish lines of communication (how does the teacher like to be reached? are there other times to have 1:1 conversations? etc.)
Tip #3: Be positive
Your child’s teacher is your best ally in achieving the learning outcomes that everyone wants. Don’t be afraid to double down on a position you have as long as you are demonstrating positive intent and have taken the time to listen and learn from the teacher. Help the teacher view a problem as solvable, not overwhelming. Parent engagement can be a significant positive force in your child’s academic trajectory and the triangle that is formed between parents, kids, and teachers should always be reinforced.
When Mr. 4 was home sick for a week, I used the opportunity to share our learning plan with our PreK teacher and also asked her to let me know what they were doing in class. This allowed me to baseline what Mr. 4 was missing out on and fact check where we were in terms of accelerated learning. In the same vein as this kind of touchpoint, the parent-teacher conference lets you determine this kind of information without your child first needing to be ill. Once you have a better sense of what your child’s classroom is covering and where it’s headed, you can make your own plan to supplement school. This can either be going deeper on a topic, teaching an adjacent topic, or introducing something completely new.
Harvard University also has some great tips for successful parent teacher conferences on their Family Research Project archives. Happy fall all!
