Invite both parents. But, be sure to find out first if
a student comes from a single-parent
home and if both parents should be invited.
Contact parents early in the year. Outline your curriculum and expectations
and let
parents know how they can reach you.
Allow enough time in the conference. If you are scheduling back-to-back
conferences, give yourself a short breather in between each one.
Prepare in advance to answer specific questions parents may have about
their child's
ability, skill levels, and achievements.
Get organized before the conference. Assemble your grade book, test scores,
student
work samples and attendance records.
Greet parents at the door. Also, you will help parents feel welcome and
relieve their
anxiety if you greet them by name. Check records in advance to make sure
you have parents'
(and stepparents') names correct.
Avoid physical barriers. Don't sit behind your desk or ask parents to perch
on
uncomfortable chairs.
Open on a positive note. Begin conferences on a warm, positive note to
relax everyone.
Start with a positive statement about the child's abilities , school work,
or interests.
Be specific in your comments and suggested course of action.
Forget the jargon. Try not to use "educationese" because it sounds like
to double-talk to
parents.
Ask for parents' opinions. Hear them out, even if the comments are hostile
or negative.
HERE ARE SOME IDEAS IN DETAIL.
READ ON IF YOU ARE NEW
OR WANT A REAL REFRESHER COURSE.
. .
The school year is well established and things are running more or less
as you expected. Just when
everything is settled, it arrives. Yes, folks, it's Parent-Teacher Conference
Time!
As this time approaches, it is not unusual for a teacher with many years
of experience to have "jitters."
When parents come in, anything can happen, especially when a child is not
progressing academically,
or has had discipline problems. The wise teacher plans ahead for conferences
and has all materials
assembled well in advance.
Parent-Teacher conferences usually occur around the time report cards are
sent home. Tensions may
be high, and tempers may flare when grades do not seem to coincide with
what parents expect from
their children.
Let's not have any illusions. Fewer teachers are actually talking with
'rents--short for parents--about the
work a child is doing, 'rents may not have a clue about how well (or poorly)
their children are doing.
Students know what their parents want to see, and may destroy work rather
than have parents know how
poorly they are doing. Even letters sent by US Mail are not guaranteed--they
are easily intercepted and
destroyed. Sadly, in these busy times, parents may not take the time to
focus on their children's
education, so 'rent-teacher conferences are often the first time during
an academic year that parents
really pay attention to how well their children are doing in school.
Lights, Camera, Action!
Prepare for conferences the way you would prepare for an eagerly anticipated
event. Gather together
student work samples and lace them in a folder. Include the best examples
of their work, and also
examples of "typical" daily work.
Set up a table, with several chairs, in case more than one family member
comes for the conference.
Take a moment to decide if you want children present during conferences.
Check on school/district
policy, and if children are not to be included during conferences, find
out how children are
accommodated when they come with their parents. Is there a "child care"
area set-up, or are children
expected to sit in the hallway?
Some teachers want the student to be present during conference, but do
not want siblings listening in.
Depending on your school's stance, consider setting up an area within the
classroom that has a few
activities for many ages of children. Colored chalk at the board is usually
a hit with children, as are
puzzles, big books, building blocks, and classroom pets. I turn on a "noisemaker"
(radio, stereo,
cassette player) and also have my classroom computer on. Position the activity
center far enough away
from the conference table so conversation is not easily monitored, and
so that it is within eyesight for
safety's sake. Toddlers usually stay with their parents, as most classrooms
are not "baby proofed."
On a table outside the door, place a sign-in sheet, and any other information
you want parents to have,
along with several chairs. Be sure to have a large sign with your name
and room number placed by your
door. I have a bell on the table, and a note that asks parents to ring
it when they get there so I know there
is someone waiting.
Many teachers keep their conference table bare, except for a pencil, pen,
and a notebook for jotting
things down during the conference (use a clean sheet for each student,
please!). On a table slightly
behind and to one side of them, they put copies of the texts the students
are using, their grade book,
student folders, and copies of the materials offered outside the door.
Some schools schedule conference times, some just have an "open conference"
time. Whatever
method your school employs, be sure to meet each parent with a smile and
a firm handshake, if it's
appropriate. (I tried to shake one father's hand, but he told me it was
not his custom to touch any
woman, except his wife.) If you do schedule conference times, don't be
surprised if parents show up,
early, late, or not at all. Do your best to stay on your schedule, even
if it means rescheduling a parent
who is ten minutes late for a scheduled 15-minute conference.
During your conference, try to keep chit-chat to a minimum. [Cut to the
chase: Go To Pam's 10-minute
script] I like to start conferences with a positive statement about the
student, then display textbooks as I
go over subjects taught in the classroom. I offer parents a copy of district
grade level goals, and
curriculum to be covered, and then get right to the report card. There
are books available at "teacher
stores" which offer suggestions on wording for report card comments. I
go over each grade, but do not
touch the grade book, unless parents challenge me to "prove" a grade. (I
keep all grades statistically,
which makes it easy to total at the end of each quarter.)
Finally, I tell the parents what I believe are their child's strengths,
as well as talk about areas their child
has weaknesses in. Before they leave, I go over ways they can help their
child at home. These
suggestions are rather generic, and they are typed up and given to the
parents to take home. Whatever I
send home is written as close to a fourth grade vocabulary as I can get,
since I want parents of all
abilities to understand what I'm trying to communicate with them. In cases
where parents are not fluent
in English, I've had papers translated, and this year I asked an interpreter
for the deaf to be available for
one conference.
My part of the conference lasts no more than 10 minutes, the last five
are set aside for parent questions,
concerns. If no one is waiting, conferences can be lengthened. [What about
"problem conference?" Click
here.]
One frustration on conference day is the number of parents who sign up
for a conference, and then fail to
show up. During "down" time, I work on materials, clean the room, re-do
bulletin boards, etc. Prior to
conference day, I compose a "form letter" expressing regret that parents
were unable to attend, and ask
them to call to reschedule. At the end of the day, I fill in the blanks,
stuff a letter in an envelope, slap a
mailing label on it, and put it in the school's outgoing mail. With luck,
it will reach the parents the next
day, and they will reschedule.
At the end of Parent-Teacher conference day, I go home and soak in a hot
tub. I try very hard to do no
school work at home, and usually go to bed early. Conferences are rewarding
opportunities to get to
know more about your students. They are also exhausting. After your conferences,
be good to yourself.
You've done the best you could, you'll learn from your mistakes, and after
all, "tomorrow is another day!"
10 minute "script"
"Good morning, Mr. & Mrs. Smith" I'm so happy you could come today.
John is a lovely child. He works
very hard, and I'm anxious to show you how he has improved in math.
"These are the textbooks we are using this year. As you can see, we have
math, reading, English, social
studies, science, and spelling books. I've asked the children to take their
books home and cover them to
protect them. If you notice book covers are torn, would you please help
John recover them?....Thank you.
Let's look at John's report card. In his personal development, John is
making good progress. He makes
friends and gets along well with the boys and girls in our classroom. As
you know, I've noticed he has a
short temper, and has been known to push in line, but we've been working
on this, and it happens less
often, now. I'd like to thank you again for talking to him last month,
after I called you about this problem. It
has helped him to know that you expect him to behave in school.
John's work habits are good. He completes his assignments on time, and
they are done neatly. Here
are some samples of classroom work. You can see he writes clearly, and
his work is easy to follow.
This is his social studies project on the Hoover Dam. We researched in
the library for this. He put it
together very well.
"John has earned a B in reading. He reads well orally, but he is having
trouble remembering what he
read. I'll have some suggestions for you to help him get over this problem.
"John's spelling grade is a C. He averaged a 74 on his tests.
"English, social studies and science are subjects John enjoys. He got a
B in these areas. We have
worked on adverbial phrases, studied the southwestern states and gone over
the scientific process this
quarter.
"Math is John's weakness. He started out very poorly. He had not mastered
his multiplication, or division
facts, and borrowing and carrying in addition and subtraction were difficult
for him. His first test grade
was a D. He has been working on the computer to memorize his math facts,
and he has a peer tutor
who does math with him. His test scores are going up. Here is last week's
test, a B! He's doing better on
math fact timed tests, too. His grade this quarter is a C-. He may be disappointed,
but keep encouraging
him to do his best.
"Art, Music and PE teachers have each given him a Satisfactory this quarter,
and John's attendance has
been good, 41 out of 43 days. He has not been tardy. I'm glad John is in
our classroom. He certainly
knows a lot about taking care of plants! Did you know he makes sure ours
are watered and pruned?
"Do you have any questions or concerns?...
"Before you go, here is a list of things you can do to help John at home.
I mentioned he is having
problems remembering what he has read. You can help by having him read
a paragraph out-loud to you
and then asking him a question about what he read. If he hesitates, have
him re-read the section
silently, looking for the answer. Remind him, the answer is in the paragraph!
"Thank you again for coming. If you have any questions, please call me
at the school. You have a lovely
child!"
What about a "problem" conference?
If you believe you will have problems with a specific family, ask your
administrator to be available to
assist you, or see if you can hold that conference near the office. If
this is not possible, alert the teacher
next door to you to the possibility of trouble, and ask them to listen
for signs of distress.
If a conference starts to get "ugly" it is perfectly fine to suggest that
everyone needs to take a breath and
reschedule. You can also suggest parents go to the office and arrange for
a "three-way" conference:
parent, teacher and administrator.
Above all else, always try to remain detached, especially if parents become
"excited." It is preferable to
lower your voice level than to start yelling back. Use "I statements,"
such as "I understand your concern,"
"I can see how you might get that impression," "I can see this is bothering
you," and offer ways to settle
them down. "We can work together to help your child," "Maybe I can say
this a better way," "This would
bother me, too." Keep the focus on their child, and let them know that
you value their concerns and are
willing to work with them to help their child.
Form Letter
(Use letterhead if possible, ask for it from the school's secretary)
Date:
Dear __________ ,
I'm so sorry you were unable to attend our______ conference today. It is
re-scheduled for __________. It
is my pleasure to have _________ in our classroom. I have lots of information
to share with you about
_________'s work. These are the things which were sent home with parents.
I hope you'll look them
over, and give me a call at the school. Our number is _________ I know
we can find a time that is more
convenient for you.
Sincerely,
Name
Parent-Teacher Conferences: Five Important Questions
Here are some questions courtesy of teachervision.com. . .
Prepare yourself for parent teacher
conferences by thinking about
what infomation parents really
should have.
Here are some examples.
1.What skills and knowledge will your students be
expected to master
this year?
What will your students learn this year in key subjects like math,
science, history, and English?
Are there challenging academic standards in place at your school,
and how do they compare with those at other school districts?
Show these standards to parents.
How will you inform students about the academic standards they're
expected to meet? What kinds of projects and assignments have
you planned that will help your students meet higher academic
standards?
2.How will your students be evaluated?
What kind of information do you use to evaluate students? How do
you know if they're academically ready to move on to the next
grade?
How are grades determined in your classroom?
3.What can parents do to stay more involved in their
child's academic
progress?
What can they do at home to complement what is happening in the
classroom?
How can they know on a daily basis what homework has been
assigned?
How can they support your efforts in implementing higher academic
standards?
4.How do you accommodate differences in learning?
What if their child is a slow learner and falls behind, or is a fast
learner and is bored?
Are summer school, tutoring, or other programs available for
students who need more help?
5.How are older students prepared for further learning
after high
school?
Are children encouraged to think about a wide variety of career
interests?
Are all students encouraged to take algebra by the end of eighth
grade?