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Question: How can I learn the most about how my children are really doing in school at their conferences? – Curious
Answer:
Assuming your conference is with a teacher who is well-prepared for a conference, you should be learning test results, seeing some papers, and hearing about a child’s strengths and weaknesses, both academically and socially. In this case, your major role is to be a listener and to avoid interjecting social chit-chat that takes away from the limited time devoted to a conference. However, do tell the teacher about any family events that could be affecting a child’s performance in school such as illness, divorce, or death of a close relative.
At the end of a conference, there is usually time for you to ask questions and give additional input about your child. For this segment of the conference, preparation is absolutely essential. The first thing that you want to do is to get input from your child. Begin by asking him or her if there is anything special that the child wants you to talk about with the teacher. It is important that you point out that the purpose of parent/teacher conferences is to help the child do well at school.
Don’t rely on your memory, but take notes outlining what your child says. Should the child have no suggestions, you may want to ask questions about what subjects are favorites or trouble spots, who their friends are, and if there are any bullying issues. It is also not a bad idea to ask the child what he or she would like to change about the school day.
Assuming teachers are not giving the usual basic data about a child that parents expect, it is wise to prepare a list of questions listing the topics that you want covered.
There are some further cardinal rules that ensure parents will have a good conference. They should arrive on time, leave when the conference is over — not cutting into the next parent’s time — and not be combative. And if there are problems, another conference should be set up to look for ways to resolve them. It is not likely there will be sufficient time to resolve any serious difficulties at an initial conference.
Parents should send questions and comments to dearteacher@dearteacher.com or to the Dear Teacher website.
©Compass Syndicate Corporation, 2019