Want some tips for having a productive parent/teacher conference?
For many of us, the most dreaded event during our school years was…being sent to the principal’s office.
Unfortunately, some of those childhood memories make it difficult for us to be enthusiastic about going to meet with our child’s teacher. I’ll share a few tips on how to feel comfortable, as a parent or a teacher, at a student conference.
- ARTICLE: Great Parent Teacher Conferences
- ACTION PLAN: Great Parent Teacher Conferences
- AUDIO: Great Parent Teacher Conferences
Leave a put-it-into-action comment below!
As a teacher at a conference, it is most important for parents to KNOW that their child’s welfare is very important. It is also essential that parents KNOW that you truly SEE that child – even if you do not understand the child at all times. Listening and asking questions does this nicely. Seeing the child through the eyes of the parents is so important. I enjoyed one practice at the beginning of each conference that set us all on common ground. I gently placed a photograph of the child on the table in front of the parents as a gift for all of us to consider. The child.
My students were ages 3, 4, and 5. Sometimes they attended the conference, sometimes not. I only asked that siblings not be present as this was a special time for this child. The photo gift united the parents and myself in the first few seconds of each conference through our mutual love for the child.
Note: because of TSGold documentation, most teachers have access now to cameras. Getting one photo per child developed for each conference day is very much worth it. I actually took at least 12 photos per year and at the end of three years presented each child a photo book of 36 pictures from his or her years in the Children’s House. Many photos were of the child with a classmate or two, enjoying Montessori materials. I have a long unit I wrote on Parent Engagement which served me well over my years as a primary Montessori directress. Thank you for the opportunity to continue to grow even in my retirement. I enjoy your site.
Susan,
So good to see your comment!
As the old saying goes, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Thanks for sharing your years of experience with us!
Thanks Maren. These are helpful reminders even for old teachers like me. 🙂
Cody,
I like to think “experienced” instead of old!