Parent-Teacher Conference Tips

The school year is underway.  The first few months have passed by quickly, filled with new challenges, new friends and, best of all, new teachers. Parent-teacher conferences are quickly approaching, and you may be experiencing both excitement and—let’s be honest—a little bit of fear. Conferences often invoke fear and anxiety in kids. They think their parents and their teachers together at the same table can only equal trouble for them. The funny thing is, conferences often can invoke those same feelings in us adults.

I speak firsthand when I say that teachers greatly look forward to the conversations that take place during conferences. Incredible gains can happen regarding your child’s learning and development as a result of what is discussed at these tables. You are a team, working together for the best interest of your child. Keeping the conversation focused on the most important thing, your child’s education, is crucial.

As you develop questions to ask, or specific areas to address with your child’s teacher, look back at your child’s classwork, as well as correspondence from his teacher regarding his progress. If you are curious about any particular areas of your child’s education, this is the time to ask! Don’t be afraid to voice a concern you might have, or even ask the teacher for specific ways to help your child in certain areas, both educationally and personally. If you are a parent of a high achieving child, you still should expect the teacher to give you ways to encourage and enrich your child’s learning. If your child has some struggles, you should receive details on how your child is doing and ways you can help support her learning. You should leave the conference with the necessary tools to help your child continue to grow.

Education is a partnership between students, teachers and parents. You all share the common goal of equipping the student to do his very best, all while adequately preparing him for the future. While that may be the common goal, only you are the parent. You know your child better than anyone. Therefore, if you are concerned, don’t hesitate to express that to his teacher. Parent-teacher conferences are the perfect avenue through which to approach these issues, and I assure you, if you share a concern in a respectful way, great things can happen! Remember to keep an open mind. If the teacher has a concern, be willing to listen to what she has to say. Hearing something about your child with which you disagree can be hard, but be open to hearing what educators have to say. Most of all, don’t forget you all share that common goal of making your child’s learning experience more positive.

Parent-teacher conferences are designed to be a productive way to better your child’s education. When you think of it in those terms, it can, and should be, a very exciting time!

Pro Tip: If you have a specific issue or situation you want to discuss in detail at your child’s conference, contact the teacher in advance and share the issue with her. This not only grants her time to gather information and process it from her point of view, but also prevents the teacher from being caught off guard and the conference potentially becoming ineffective.  

Brandon Lewis is an Innovation & Learning Coach for Liberty Public Schools. He and his wife, Jeni, live in Kansas City with their two children, Zoey and Ezra.