Talking with your child’s teacher
Parent-Teacher Conferences are held in four times a year
Here are some tips to make your visit as positive and productive as possible.Before you meet with your child’s teacher, spend time determining what you would like to know as a result of the meeting. Some questions you may want to ask include:
- How well does my child get along with others?
- What are my child’s strongest skills and abilities?
- What are my child’s weak areas, and how can I help?
- Have you noticed sudden changes in the way my child acts?
- It’s a good idea to ask the most important questions first, just in case time runs out before you have a chance to discuss them all.
- Talk to your child before the meeting. Is there anything he or she would like you to discuss with the teacher?
- Try to be on time for your meeting and take notes. If you need clarification, ask for it.
- While infrequent, some meetings between parent and teacher may come about because of a problem the child is having, because you’re concerned about a rumor you’ve heard or because of something your child has told you about school.
- Put off making up your mind until you’ve had a chance to talk to the teacher.
- Keep the focus of the meeting on resolving problems and mapping out a plan that can help your child. Remember both you and the teacher want the best learning experience possible for your child. Together, you can provide it.