Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences

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So, that much-awaited moment of teachers and parents is finally knocking at the door: parent-teacher conferences.

This, however, marks a period of anxiousness and apprehension as well, on the end of students, parents and don’t be surprised if I say, ‘teachers too’! Just like students are required to undergo a thorough grooming prior to their exams, teachers also have little choice but to prepare well for such meetings.

As you already know, these conferences are significant as they convey information about the progress of students and their academic performance.

Besides, these events also ensure that parents are kept in loop about the behavioral patterns of their children, apart from their strengths, weaknesses and aptitude in extra-curricular activities organized in school. A parent-teacher meeting serves as an excellent platform for teachers wherein they are capable of sharing their concerns about students, behavioral issues and their talents.

The gravity of this event necessitates the demand of a generous amount of maturity from teachers and even parents.

What I mean is, unless parents and teachers are vocal about the qualities and challenges confronted by students in learning spaces, parent-teacher meets would fail to be successful. And, most importantly, inspirational.

Great teachers present facts gently before parents, armed with good humor while responsible parents accept their opinions patiently.

Tips for Parents for Parent-Teacher Meetings

Dear parents, do keep in mind that you and your child’s teacher are a team working together for the development of your ward. When your child falls sick, you pay a visit to the physician for analyzing his physical ailments. Similarly, teachers are the best people to interpret a child’s academic health in terms of his academic, social and emotional skills, along with his basic intelligence quotient.

Continue reading to learn about some of the best ideas that can prepare you for parent-teacher conferences:

#1.Avoid Confrontation

Parents must be really calm and cool while attending parent-teacher meetings. They must never be tempted to emphasize upon the deficiencies they come across in teachers or the curriculum in general.

Here is a quick tip that will come to your aid: take deep breaths before attending the conference and tell yourself, “I need to be patient and avoid losing my temper.”

If you refrain from encouraging the ‘fault-finding’ part of your personality to reign supreme, you can expect such events to be more peaceful.

Once teachers observe that you are willing to be good listeners, they would automatically not list your failures as a parent. Or, your child’s failures as a learner in the classroom.

#2.Exchange Important Information

A golden rule that parents must bear in mind during parent-teacher communication is that an appointment with teachers aims to offer an exchange of valuable information. Until you divulge essential information about the special attributes of your child, or his social interactions with his family members and relatives, your communication would be incomplete.

For, teachers must be aware of how your child behaves beyond the confines of an academic zone.

You might also choose to mention about incidences that possess the potential to impact your child’s confidence levels and interests in learning about certain subjects. On the other hand, teachers must also make efforts to share their experiences about your child’s performance in exams and in the class and his analytical skills.

#3.Be Open to the Teachers’ Statements

Next, you must be open to statements, suggestions and ideas placed by teachers.

Know that your child’s teacher has his best interests in mind, just like you do. Wouldn’t you like to be notified when your child does not complete his homework? Or, does not submit his assignment to the teacher within the specified time frame?

Great parents always welcome any kind of feedback from teachers!

For example, your kid might be telling you that he does not have any homework, merely to get rid of their responsibility of completing it. Children have also been proven to avert homework if they have not been able to grasp the classroom lessons. Rohan, my seven-year-old neighbor’s son keeps coming up with innovative excuses to skip his Math homework.

So, if the teacher complains about your kid not doing his homework, try to dive deep into the matter.

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#4.Initiate a Conference

Who said only teachers have the sole right to schedule parent-teacher conferences?

Well, you are mistaken if you are among the parents who feel that they have to literally ‘wait’ for their invitation to parent-teacher meets.

Parents must review the academics of their children every now and then.

Now, whenever they find something amiss, they can send a mail requesting teachers to arrange for a parent-teacher counseling session. Don’t be reluctant to get in touch with your kid’s teacher if your child:

• Ignores his home assignments for over a week
• Keeps mum when you ask him about his school lessons for a particular day or week
• Gives silly excuses for not memorizing his formulae or definitions

#5.Be More Active

Last but not the least, you must be more active in parent-teacher discussions. Take a keen interest in your child’s academic affairs. Ask teachers if they are progressing in their lessons.

Don’t forget to discuss the major drawbacks of your children with teachers.

For instance, certain kids might suffer from a ‘Mathematics phobia’ whereas a few others might find Chemistry quite challenging.

What are your child’s shortcomings as a student and how can he overcome them?

While in school, does your child appear happy or brooding? These are a few questions that you cannot afford to forget discussing with teachers.

Knowing the accurate answers to these questions would enable you to motivate your kids to a large extent.

Tips for Teachers for Parent-Teacher Meetings

Like parents, teachers too have a moral responsibility to make sure that parent-teacher conferences are productive and contribute to the academic growth of pupils. As teachers, you should know about the goals of the meetings. Moreover, you must also be ready with probable solutions to the learning complexities faced by students.

I have a few suggestions that can guide teachers in getting ready for parent-teacher conferences.

#1.Be Positive while Speaking to Parents

There is no substitute to optimism, my dear teachers.

You must not overlook the fact that parents are your friends and that you need to cooperate with them to succeed in your role as an educator! All they long for is to see their children immensely successful in academic and extra-curricular activities in school.

Therefore, their objectives are perfectly aligned to your personal mission.

So naturally, you must make it a habit to sound very positive as you interact with parents. Cultivate it into your system. Even if you are slightly critical about parents, do not let that resurface. Offer a warm and firm handshake with parents and smile as you speak to them!

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#2.Prepare Rigorously

Good preparation equals success. And mind it, this is not true just for students preparing for exams but also applies to teachers gearing up for parent-teacher meets! If you are aiming for a perfect session, you better be well prepared.

Ask yourself the following questions prior to planning a conference:

• What are your objectives for conducting the meeting?
• What exactly do you aspire to convey to parents?
• What do you think the outcome of the upcoming meeting would be?
• How would you highlight the achievements of your students?
• What are the questions that you are planning to ask parents?

Make notes and work out samples. Your notes must contain the answers to all the above questions.

#3.Provide Solutions

Telling a parent, “Ayan is a day dreamer, particularly during the History lectures” is completely futile. Just imagine how would parents be able to help their kids if you place such random statements? You need to specify what kind of a transformation you wish to notice among your students.

So it is a wise idea to be ‘solution-oriented’ rather than merely pointing out flaws among your learners.

Before putting forward your views about students, decide how you can add solutions to the problems. Think about creative solutions that are not only simple but also interesting enough to be embraced by students.

You can ask parents to encourage their child to be more assertive as well as attentive in the class.

#4.Be Willing to Learn

Knowledge is power, as you are already knowledgeable about.

Are you sure you know your students very well? You can seize the opportunity to know your students in depth thanks to parent-teacher meetings! Here are some of the common questions every teacher must ask parents in such conferences:

• What do your students do when they return home?
• Do the parents share any specific concern for your students? If yes, what are they?
• Which subject do your students love studying the most?
• What are the fears of your student?
• What do your students think about your presentations and lectures?
• What are their passions?

Keep asking such questions since it would help you identify the personality traits of your student.

#5.Show that you Care

Children spend a majority of their time with you – in classrooms, busy with their class assignments or listening to your lectures or taking down notes. Ideal teachers love their students and nurture them wonderfully.

So, do show that you care for your pupils, dear teachers.

Parents can find parent-teacher conferences either painstaking or beautiful. And of course, it depends on the teachers. For example, you cannot underestimate the enormous power of optimism in such events. If you believe in the abilities of your students, do show it in your attitude.

While praising a student for completing his project appropriately, point out the portions wherein he displayed his merits.

And, feel the positivity within you as you speak.

These are some of the most unique tips that parents and teachers can utilize to enjoy successful parent-teacher communication. Teachers can also employ some apps that aid in arranging parent-teacher conferences, like ‘Class Messenger’, ‘BuzzMob’, ‘Remind’ and so on.