It feels just like yesterday when were preparing for the first day of school. The time year has come to prepare for parent teacher conferences. This is one of the most important times of the year for both students and parents. The parent teacher conference may set the tone for the entire school year. I think that it is beneficial as a parent, to be just as prepared as the teacher. I think that since you have a limited time to meet with the teacher, preparation is very important to get the most out of your one on one time. I believe that if you want to get the most out of your limited time with your child’s teacher you should maximize it with the following ten tips.
1. Schedule your appointment early-Schedule your appointment with the teacher at a time that is convenient for you and the teacher, by scheduling early you have the opportunity to make changes if your schedule changes or the teacher may have time to create room in her schedule to change in case of an emergency.
2. Write down questions-Writing down questions before the conference will help you as the parent address any questions or concerns about your child’s behavior, school work, interaction with other children, and his academic standing with other teachers.
3. Ask if you will have the opportunity to meet the other teachers-If your child has electives or specials that they attend on a weekly basis.
4. Bring a note pad and pen-Write down any notes on your child to help continue with the school year.
5. Ask if you can meet with the principal-Develop a relationship with the principal in case of any questions concerning discipline of your child beyond the classroom environment.
6. Stay in touch with teacher after the conference have any question-Ask your child’s teacher what is the best way to keep in contact with her if you have any questions email, phone number, or text message.
7. Ask your child how they are doing at school-Debrief with your child everyday ask about interaction in classroom, recess, cafeteria, and in other classes.
8. Check child’s homework folder-Be sure to check child’s communication and homework folder daily, to keep track of academic progress and to communicate with teacher.
9. Check child’s calendar for assignments, dates of upcoming events, any special projects, early dismissals, and holiday events.
10. Leave with a plan of action- Leave your parent teacher conference with a plan of action, with long and short term goals, and how you will measure progress. Have a clear idea of what is expected from the teacher, you as the parent, and from them.
OH yes I have had several of these and these are some pretty good tips. I email my childrens’ teachers almost daily. 🙂
Diatta, that is awesome that you email your children’s teacher almost daily. I am a good note writer for my son’s teacher! Thank you for stopping by and commenting on my blog. Stay Blessed and Beautiful!
First, I loved the flower. This is good information to prepare for those important meetings with the teacher. Also had to check out the rest of your site. You have some great content. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Danielle, I love flowers so much, they have become one of my signatures on my blog as a symbol of growth and transformation for women. I am happy that you enjoyed my content too! You are very welcome!
These are indeed some great tips. So simple but you would be surprised what we sometimes overlook.
This is great. I’ll be sure and do this when I start my family. 🙂
I always get so nervous about the conferences for my son, but only because he has a behavioral issue we’re still struggling through. I’m rarely worried about grades, granted I check those weekly online!
Great tips. We just had our conference
Great post. We just had our parent conferences. yes, write down questions. I had quite a few and now I know how I should proceed with my child when it comes to their education.
Oh, these are some great tips! Thanks for sharing! My little guy starts school next year, so these are wonderful to keep to look back on in a year or so!
I have to keep this post, my little one is 16 months old so we are not that far along yet, but I can see how these tips would help a lot of parents prepare, especially first time parents like my hubby and I.
I also asked the teacher(s) what kind of support they needed. Do you have enough supplies? Do you need help finding resources?
I homeschool but I remember parent teacher conferences. I always dreaded them. I was a good student and usually very obedient but my family was extremely strict so I always felt like they desired perfection.
Love these tips! I did the same for my kids and I always made sure my husband attended. We wanted to ensure they knew our kids have both parents in their lives.
I only have a 2 year old but these are some great tips when having general conversations with her teachers.
These are great tips–we had parent teacher conferences in daycare, but this year will be our first official one. (It’s so weird that we’re going to conferences as parents and not students now!)