How to Have a Successful Parent Teacher Conference

Whether you've been asked by your child's teacher to attend a special meeting or you are going for the first quarter report card, a parent teacher conference is an excellent opportunity to establish rapport and create a good relationship with your child's teacher. A successful parent teacher conference can set the course for the success of the entire school year.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Prepare for the parent teacher conference. Have questions in mind about the curriculum and any concerns about your child. Plan to provide positive reinforcement for the teacher. Mention things like which subjects your child enjoys or certain books or projects that were fun. Prioritize the things you want to discuss in case time runs out.

2. Start things off right by arriving on time. This will put everyone in a good mood and send a message to the teacher that shows how important your child is to you and that you respect the teacher's time and effort.

3. Play for the team. It is essential that the parents and teachers realize that both parties are there in common interest of the child. There should be no blame assigning or defensive feelings when discussing the child. Everyone wants what's best for the child and should be open-minded.

4. Write things down. Bring notes to the conference that you prepared in advance with questions for the teacher and subjects you would like to discuss. Take notes during the conference so you can later recall the information that was covered.

5. Keep open communication with your child. It's probably best to not bring the child to the parent teacher conference, but have a discussion before the conference. Ask what your child expects the teacher to say. Your child's response will give you some prompts for discussion.