Parent teacher conferences can be a vital, stressful time in any educator’s life. However, parent teacher conferences can often be the one chance teachers have at physically connecting with the parents of students. When preparing for parent teacher conferences, it is important to remain as positive and optimistic as positive about the situations, no matter how challenging they may seem. Being approachable and encouraging during a parent teacher conference is the first step in ensuring that parents feel accepted and respected.
Parent teacher conferences have such a negative wrap in the world of teaching. While many times both teachers and parents can dread the situation, it is critical to remember that the only ones who can change the outlook and outcome of the conference, are parents and teachers. If the dynamic of the situations changed to a more approachable and positive experience, both educators and parents could grow and appreciate the importance of parent teacher conferences.
Tips for a successful parent teacher conference:
Before:
1. Be prepared: Know the information to relay to the parents. Be ready to explain the good, the bad, and everything in-between about the student and their progress.
2. Initiative excitement: Before the conference, reach out to parents to inform them of excitement for the conference discussion. Creating a good attitude around the conference will create a better environment during.
During:
1. Seating: Instead of sitting across a desk from the parents, try a more welcoming seating arrangement, like sitting beside the parents. When a teacher is sitting across from the parents the environment can be tense and authoritative. By adopting a welcoming seating arrangement, next to the parents, teachers seem more approachable during conferences.
2. Have data: Be prepared with data, assignments, and academic reports for students. This will allow parents to see hard proof of the information being discussed and the reasoning behind any and all suggestions of the student’s education being made.
After:
1. Follow-up: Reach out to parents to follow up with any questions or continuing concerns they may have. Be sure to remind them of the pleasure it was to discuss their child’s academic progress. Wrap the conference off in a positive light to ensure open communication and continue between the parents.
2. Evaluate feedback: No educator is perfect. Feedback of any kind ca be useful in adjusting and bettering instruction within the classroom. Evaluate the feedback parents give and take into account their thoughts.
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