Prepping for Parent/Teacher Conferences: Four Tips for Parents
Author: Dr. Jared Spencer
School has changed quite a bit this year. Teachers, parents, and children alike are adjusting to the new ways in which education is being delivered. Remote and hybrid learning present new challenges and responsibilities for children and parents, which may lead to more questions from parents about how their child is managing school. Furthermore, outside of school, families may be dealing with unique sets of stressors right now that they have not had to deal with in years past. This can have significant effects on how your child is managing their school work.
Multi-disciplinary research shows how important parent-teacher communication is for student learning. When there is a positive relationship between parents and teachers, there are noticeable effects on how children engage in schoolwork and also how children feel about school in general. Additionally, other research shows how both intellectual and social-emotional functioning need to both be supported in order to foster effective learning. Communication with your child’s teacher supports both intellectual and emotional development, as this connection helps everyone be on the same page academically and helps your child feels supported both at home and at school.
As we are in the season of parent/teacher conferences, the idea of communicating and collaborating with teachers may be at the forefront of many parents’ minds. While there will be feedback to receive from the teacher, you as a parent also have valuable information to add to the conversation. Due to the limitations of remote learning, teachers greatly value information from parents about how remote learning is going for their child. Habits that teachers would be able to observe in an in-person setting are more challenging to assess remotely, and parents now have a more detailed window into how their child navigates their own school work. Here are a few tips to help target your discussion and collaboration with your child’s teachers:
1) Be Prepared
For many, these first few months of schools may have been overwhelming. Between adjusting to remote learning/hybrid models of education and other present stressors, there are a lot of factors affecting how your child is navigating school. Making a list of questions beforehand can be helpful in targeting areas of concern or curiosity around your child’s academics. Especially with the new ways in which children are learning, there may be a greater number or different kinds of questions surrounding how your child is adjusting. Outlining and organizing these questions can help both you and your child’s teacher have a better sense of areas of growth to focus on and create a plan around those areas. Some areas to consider focusing on include: how to support learning at home, how your child generally feels about school, academic progress, adjustment to new modalities of learning, and overall engagement/participation during class. Furthermore, it may be helpful for teachers to be aware of any stressors that may be present within the family, as this can have an impact on their ability to engage in schoolwork.
2) Talk with your Child Before and After the Meeting
It is important to get a sense from your child about how they think school is going outside of what their grades might tell you. They likely have a strong sense of what aspects of school are most challenging for them, and their input can serve as an additional way to discuss strengths and weaknesses with their teacher. Additionally, it is important for children to understand the purpose of these meetings, as they are an opportunity for their parents and teachers to find ways of helping them with academics and are not punitive in nature. Although you may be most concerned with your child’s challenges, it is also important to pay equal attention to all areas of success. Providing a good balance of constructive feedback and celebrating successes (no matter how small) will help keep them encouraged to learn and actively participate in school.
3) Be an Advocate for your Child
Watching your child engage in classes and schoolwork at home may yield new insights into areas of both strengths and weaknesses. For example, difficulties with academics that may not have been as visible before are now more present. Furthermore, children may have their own reactions to the changing academic environment, potentially affecting their ability to effectively and efficiently participate. This may present new opportunities for parents to explore how their child is learning and ask teachers how their learning can best be supported. In situations where there is concern, it is best to communicate about this with your child’s teacher to figure out what the next steps might be.
4) Be Consistent
Consistent communication and parent involvement is an important ingredient to your child’s educational growth. While conferences are a great opportunity to learn more about your child’s progress, there may also be other times throughout the year it is helpful to reach out to teachers about further questions or concerns you have about how your child is doing. When avenues of communication are well developed with teachers early on, it makes it easier to problem solve and address concerns as they emerge during the school year.
