Preparing for Parent Teacher Conferences

My daughters had their first round of Parent Teacher Conferences this past week and I was traveling on business. It was strange for me not to be the one preparing for the meetings, but I knew my husband could handle it. Here are some tips that I gave him to get ready for the conference.

1) This sounds basic, but know the teacher and what classes your child takes. Understand if they rotate to art, music, PE, etc. so that you can be sure to ask if there is anything you need to know about those areas in addition to regular class.

2) Look over any documents that have come home in the previous weeks very carefully. Look for any indication of what the teacher has planned for the conference and what the “rules” are. For example, we are not supposed to bring our kids with us.

3) Review the grades so far for the semester. See if there is any subject in particular that you need to talk to the teacher about or if there are any particular types of work that your child does not do well on. For example, do they seem to do worse on tests although their homework is fine?

4) Make a list of questions in advance so that you don’t forget when you get there. Conferences are generally very short and to the point. There isn’t a lot of time for chatter for you to think about questions. If you have them written down, it will ensure you do not forget anything important.

5) Be sure to ask if there is anything that you can be doing to help whether it is in the classroom or at home. Does the teacher need more volunteers? Should you be encouraging your child to read more on the weekends? What role are YOU playing in your child’s education.

Although I wasn’t at my daughter’s conference, I was able to listen in through the speaker on my husband’s cell phone. It wasn’t perfect but having given him the tips above, I felt good about the results.