It is around this time of the year when schools invite parents into the building or connect virtually for what is most commonly known as the “Parent-Teacher” conference. While the very thought of sitting with your child’s teacher can bring about anxious feelings, a positive partnership between school and home is essential to a student’s success. Here are a few tips for making the most of your meeting…

Before the Conference

• Look through your children's work and their assignment pads. Get a feel for their overall organization, work habits, and level of effort. Understand what it is they are "doing" in each subject area.

• Talk with your children. Ask them if there is anything about which they are concerned or questioning regarding their teachers' rules and expectations.

• Get their opinion of what they produce in relation to what is expected.

• Consider, if age-appropriate and you ask the teacher first, having your children attend the conference with you. After all, it is their experience that is being discussed.
  
   

   

During the Conference

• Bring a list of the items you would like to see addressed.

• Ask how you can assist your children at home to make things comfortable for them at school.

• Discuss the teacher's expectations regarding your level of assistance on homework and assessment preparation.

• Decide together upon an appropriate goal for your children to readily meet before the semester's end.

• Be mindful of the fact that teachers often have many conferences in one day. Everyone's time is important to them, so if you are going over your time limit, consider scheduling a second meeting.

After the Conference

• Discuss the conference with your children if they did not attend.

• Help them to set a goal for themselves - either academic or social or both - that could be easily measured by the semester's end. Help them to document and monitor specific steps that it will take to meet this goal.

• Be sure your children realize that education is a partnership between three parties - student, parent, and teacher.

• Be positive and supportive about your children's progress. Focus on the effort they have put forth rather than the grades they have received. Discuss ways to improve effort, if necessary.
   

  Vita Biddle, Independence's LeApps™ Specialist, has been on the Independence faculty since 1992. She is also a team member  of the Center for Wellness, Innovation and  Learning (CWIL).