Attend a Parent-Teacher Conference
Parent-teacher conferences can either be a wonderful insight into your child's progress in school or a complete waste of time. These conferences are not called for the parent to talk about the child; the intention is for the teacher to discuss the student. An effective conference has the teacher talking for 80 to 90 percent of the time. This is the most effective way to learn about your child.
I have held over 200 parent-teacher conferences since 1996, and the most effective conferences were the ones where the parents listened more than they spoke. Here are some ways to get the most out of your meeting.
Instructions
1. Be on time for the conference. Teachers usually stack the conferences one right after another, and if you are five minutes late you are either inconveniencing everyone behind you or cutting your conference short by 5 minutes.
2. Allow the teacher to start the conference. Don't bombard the teacher with questions right away.
3. Do not argue or refute what the teacher is telling you. Do not make excuses for your child.
4. Ask the teacher about areas of improvement for your child. The teacher may report that your child is doing well in all areas, but be sure to walk away from the conference with something for your child to work on.
5. Don't tell the teacher how they should handle certain situations. If you feel the need to give the teacher advice, be sure to take into account the other 19 to 30 children in the class first. Do not ask the teacher to do something that will take away significant attention from the other students.
Tags: your child, child teacher, most effective, your child teacher