New Teachers: 7 Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences

November marks the month traditionally dedicated to parent (or guardian) conferences.  For new teachers, the thought of giving parents feedback on their child’s progress can be intimidating.  Here are some tips to help new teachers ensure that their parent conferences are successful.

1. Preparation: Have a goal for each conference that you have. Have that goal handy before you meet to refresh your memory. Organize yourself ahead of time. Have specific student work handy that highlights the good and where their child needs more support in.

2.  Partnership: Put all of your pre-conceived notions or judgments about a child’s family aside.  After all, if they have taken the time to come to your conference then they have done a lot.  Parents can be your biggest ally. Both of you want the same thing: the success of their child.

3. Be Specific: When giving feedback, be specific.  Explain what exactly the child is doing well with, or struggling with.  If it’s a problem, tell the parent what you have done to try to address the problem.   Ask the parent if they see that specific behavior/or problem at home.  Then work together for a solution.

4.  History: Ask the parent to tell you about the child’s past learning experiences, successes, and struggles in prior grades.

5. Caring: Show the parent that you care. They need to leave the conference feeling that their child truly matters to you.  Convey that to all of your parents.

6. Sandwich- Use the sandwich approach.  Start with something positive, continue with what their child needs support in/with, and end with something positive.

7. Sustainability- Parent partnerships cannot be limited to two meetings a year.  Develop a system that works for you that will enable you to have continuous and consistent communication throughout the year.

Hope these tips were helpful. Check out a great video on conferences created by the Teaching Channel below. Have a great school year!