What Questions Should You Bring to Your Child’s Parent-Teacher Conference?
Whether this is your first or last parent-teacher conference, you may be unsure what to talk about. You’re mostly there to talk to the instructor about your child. A parent-teacher conference will appear vary depending on the grade level and instructor, but it is ultimately a time for parents and educators to speak about ways to assist the kid to achieve in the classroom.
Whatever the cause for the meeting, you should go into it with the intention of supporting both your kid and the teacher. To assist you, consider asking the following questions to prepare for the meeting:
- What are the rules in your classroom?
Classroom rules, grading, rubrics, and academic standards are all established by each instructor. You must first understand the policies in place before you can address any concerns your kid may be having in the classroom. This question will also help you determine how to strengthen policies on your own. This inquiry also leads to a series of follow-up inquiries, such as: What is the strategy for informing me about rule-breaking issues, social concerns, or academic difficulties?
- What are some of the resources that we should use?
Use the time you spend meeting with your child’s teacher to acquire recommendations for any (and all) materials you and your child should use. Make sure to inquire about student resources such as school resources, library resources, district resources, and technological resources. Outside of the classroom, parents are often ignorant of the wealth of educational materials accessible to their children.
- By the conclusion of the school year, what should we expect our child to know?
While this is a wide question, it is useful for defining goals and remaining on track over the academic year. Many instructors can provide you with information on state standards that children are expected to fulfil by the end of the school year in some schools.
- Do you have any tips for helping my child to talk about his or her school day?
If your child is hesitant to discuss about school, you might want to ask the instructor this question. You’ll be able to find out from your instructor what kinds of activities pupils do in class on a regular basis, allowing you to ask specific class-related inquiries.
- What areas does my child need to work on?
Even if you believe your child is excellent, you should listen to the teacher’s suggestions for how he or she might develop. While your child may flourish intellectually, the instructor may observe that he or she has social difficulties.
- In your class, what modifications are being made?
This is a question that all parents of children with special needs and IEPS should ask. Because you are your child’s greatest advocate, double-check that the teacher has seen the IEP and is providing the necessary modifications.
- What can I do to help you?
Last but not least, you should emphasize your willingness to collaborate with the instructor to assist your kid to flourish at the end of your meeting. You’re demonstrating your desire to collaborate with the teacher by asking how you can help.
As you prepare for the parent-teacher conference, keep in mind that you may not have enough time to cover everything or go over each of these topics thoroughly. Educators, on the other hand, always give a way to reach them if you need to interact with them further.