Parent-Teacher conferences always bring a wave of emotions. Parents are excited to hear about their child’s strengths and accomplishments, and nervous to learn about unexpected shortcomings. Teachers want to make sure they are communicating efficiently, while also conveying empathy and care. Even in the best parent-teacher relationships, this dynamic always takes effort to navigate well. This year, parents and teachers will both be faced with additional obstacles. Whether your conference is virtual or from six feet away, you are either at the whim of your wifi’s bandwidth, or you do not have access to the emotive facial expressions these conversations need. Either way, conferences won’t be any easier this year. Whichever side of the conversation you are sitting on, here are some tips to have a smooth and successful parent-teacher conference.
1. If you can, communicate big talking points ahead of time.
Parents – If you know that you have lots of questions about a particular topic this year, let your child’s teacher know beforehand! A quick e-mail to give them a head’s up will help them mentally prepare, and give them time to gather any information you might want.
Teachers – If your biggest concern with a student is in their reading, give the parent a head’s up. Tell them you’d like to spend some time talking about the student’s reading habits at home. Come with some tips to improve their reading, and don’t forget to highlight the positives, too!
2. If virtual, make sure you’re ready.
Parents – If your conference is taking place on a platform with which you are unfamiliar, take time to learn it. While teachers should build in buffer time between meetings, don’t use this time to learn how the platform works. Make sure every minute of the conference goes toward talking about your child and their progress in school.
Teachers – Do a dry run! Make sure your waiting room is enabled to prevent parents from entering another parent’s conference early. Double check the schedule to avoid conflicts and make sure you’re situated in a spot that has crystal-clear WiFi signal. If you’ll be screen-sharing any artifacts, have all your tabs pulled up already to prevent having to wait for them to load.
3. Be clear and direct.
We convey a lot non-verbally. In most conversations, our faces help us get what we want to say across. If your conference is in person, then masks will get in the way of a lot of that. Try to be cognizant of this and be clear and direct in what you say in order to prevent miscommunication. Leave sarcasm out entirely. While the conversation does not necessarily need to be “formal,” it’s important that both parties are communicating exactly what they mean to.
4. Write down your questions/comments in advance.
Parents – If you have a list of a few questions you want to ask the teacher, don’t rely too heavily on your memory. Write them down to prevent time being wasted trying to remember them.
Teachers – While some teachers use the report card as a guide during conferences, you may want to take your preparation even further this year. To make your points as efficiently as possible, get your remarks ready by creating quick bullet points ahead of time that you can refer to. This way, you’ll ensure that you touch on everything you need to.
5. Prepare to listen as much as you talk
Parents – Even if your child has been learning from home with you in the background, there are likely going to be details about your child’s performance that you are not aware of, and that might even surprise you. Of course, if anything doesn’t add up, speak your mind, but also know that a parent’s perspective is very different from that of a teacher’s. What looks to you like struggle might look to them like success with working toward mastery! So keep an open mind.
Teachers – This year has been especially challenging for all of us, parents included. While discussing their child’s progress is of course the priority, they may have more concerns to discuss with you than usual, so be sure to allow time for listening, too.
6. Follow up
Parents – No matter how your conference ends, be sure to reach back out to your child’s teacher with any unanswered questions, follow-up concerns, and most importantly, a thank you. Conferences are always exhausting for teachers, and will be only more so this year.
Teachers – After conferences are over (and you’ve gotten a chance to catch your breath!) thank each parent for their time. Remind them that while this year might be difficult for their child, you will be there every step of the way, and will continue to do everything you can to give them the support they need to succeed. Keep the dialogue door open, and make parents feel comfortable reaching out to you anytime.
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