The Little Things You Can Do for Them Today
That Can Lead Them to Big Things Tomorrow: Effective Parent Conferences
Always Attend Their Parent Conferences
The 2018/2019 school year is just
about over now. How well did your child
do in school? What were their greatest
achievements? What did they struggle with?
Were you aware of these struggles?
How did you and the teacher team up to help your child succeed? If you didn’t, let’s explore how it can get
better next year.
Parent teacher conferences are an
important meeting for your child’s overall academic success. Do not miss any. It is a time when the teacher, parents, and student discuss what has
been working well, things to improve in, and goals to achieve the best
grades. How many of you do that? Let me guess, is it the teacher starting with
some general positive comments about your child but then bombarding you with
all the negative things that you must address to get them to behave
better?
Empathize With the Teacher
First let’s take a look at what a
teacher might be going through: teaching 20+ students, all being at different
academic levels, paperwork for each and everyone one, managing behavior and
meeting expectations, and not to mention staff meetings. There is a lot that teachers do. We sometimes forget that they too need
support. I encourage you to look at your
schedule and find at least one day in the month that might be used to go help
out your child’s teacher.
When teachers feel supported, they
are better able to support their students (your child!). Support from parents might look like this:
ensuring students are completing their homework assignments, communicating
challenges at home that might affect child in the classroom, and volunteering
to help in the classroom even if it’s only once a month. Involved parents are demonstrating to their
child that support is available to everyone.
Next time you see your child’s teacher, ask them, do you need help with
something? How can I help make things a
little easier in your classroom? Trust
me, they will be shocked; but most importantly, something magical will
happen. They will begin to focus more on
the children and provide more support.
Prepare With Your Child
We often forget the most important
person in a parent-teacher conference - the child. Encouraging your child to be a part of the
conference means hearing them out. You
as a parent are their advocate. Who else
will stand up for your child if it’s not you?
They need to know that this conference is not about the complaints of
the teacher that will result in punishment from you, but more so about where he
or she struggles. This is a good
opportunity to show them that both you and the teacher will work together to encourage
and support them in their development and growth.
How do you get them to
participate? Ask your child what their
thoughts on their teacher are. Did the
teacher help when they asked for it? If so, how did they help? What is one thing they love about this
teacher? What is one thing they wish
they could change about them? And more
importantly, are there any concerns with other students that should be talked
about? When children feel heard they
begin to open up. By you asking them
these questions you are letting them know that school can be tough and
challenging sometimes, but you are there to help them through it. Did you forget how it was for you? Talking to your children with empathy opens
the lines of trust and communication in your relationship.
How to Make the Best Out of
Parent Conferences
Now that you have prepared your
child for the conference, let’s prepare you. Practice having an open mind about what the
teacher might be going through on a daily basis. Keep in
mind that they might need your support. Have
an idea as to what day you may offer your time.
Also, practice talking to your child about their own concerns in regards
to their teacher, what they really enjoy about them, and what might be
something they need your help with. During the conference, it would be a good idea to create goals and a time frame of when you're child should be meeting standards. If they have not, discuss how to handle them.
Do you as the parent have any
concerns in mind? We often have so many
good questions and valid concerns we wish to address, but the problem is when
we are finally sitting in the actual parent conference, all of our questions
and concerns go out the window. Think
about when you go to a doctor visit. By
the time it’s over you realize you forgot to ask them the million questions you
had prior to your appointment. The best
thing to do prior to a parent conference is to write down any questions or concerns
you may have so that you can address each one that’s on your list. This will help to have a fulfilled conference
focusing directly on your child’s needs.
What if you don’t know what to ask
or let alone, how to ask it? Below I
have provided a list of good questions to ask your child’s teacher during the
conference. In addition, I have added some
links that provide good questions to keep in mind. Copy them into the notes you are taking and
add your own twist to them if needed.
Remember you are your child’s number one advocate and role model, show
them you support them.
What’s the best way to communicate with you?
Who does my child work well with?
Do you have any concerns about my child?
How can I help at home to support what you’re doing in the
classroom?
Is there a time of the day that you notice my child being
more or less engaged?
How can we work together to help my child?
Once you know a little more about
your child’s strengths and challenges, getting extra help outside of school is
a good idea. Consider contacting us at
Wiz Kid Tutor where a specialized tutor can help make those challenges into
mastering milestones. www.wizkidtutor.com
1 comment:
Good encouragements on here.
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