Attending parent-teacher conferences
By Dr. Dennis Carter
Monday, February 25, 2008 11:24 AM PST
Parent-teacher conferences are coming up again, Wednesday and Thursday. We encourage all parents to take this opportunity to get to know the professional(s) who spends several hours each day with your child. Studies show that family and parent involvement has positive effects on student achievement and success. Parent-teacher conferences are an opportunity to be involved in your child’s education.
Sometimes it seems very important to have a meeting with your child’s teacher. Perhaps your child is having trouble learning, behavior problems, poor attendance or is undergoing a stressful period at home. Clearly, the opportunity to meet with teaching staff is important at these times.
But even if everything is going smoothly, we encourage you to visit with your child’s teacher(s) because developing a personal relationship can have a positive effect on your child’s performance at school. Here are some tips to make your visit as positive and productive as possible.
Before you meet with your child’s teacher, spend time determining what you would like to know as a result of the meeting. Some questions you may want to ask include:
• How well does my child get along with others?
• What are my child’s strongest skills and abilities?
• What are my child’s weak areas and how can I help?
• Have you noticed sudden changes in my child’s behavior or friends?
It’s a good idea to ask the most important questions first, just in case time runs out before you have a chance to discuss them all.
Talk to your child before the meeting and discover if there is anything he or she would like you to discuss with the teacher.
If a teacher uses educational jargon or acronyms that are not common terms to you, please ask them to explain.
While infrequent, some meetings between parent and teacher may come about because of a problem the child is having, because you’re concerned about a rumor you’ve heard or because of something your child has told you about school. Put off making up your mind until you’ve had a chance to talk to the teacher.
Keep the focus of the meeting on resolving problems and mapping out a plan that can help your child. Remember, both you and the teacher want the best learning experience possible for your child. Together, you can provide it.
Parent-teacher conferences are a time for parents to demonstrate to their children just how important education is. Your attendance and the time you spend with teachers sends this positive message to your child.
