Talking with your child’s teacher

Parent-Teacher Conferences are held in October.
Here are some tips to make your visit as positive and productive as possible.
• Before you meet with your child’s teacher, spend time determining what you would like to know as a result of the meeting. Some questions you may want to ask include:

How well does my child get along with others?
What are my child’s strongest skills and abilities?
What are my child’s weak areas, and how can I help?
Have you noticed sudden changes in the way my child acts?

• It’s a good idea to ask the most important questions first, just in case time runs out before you have a chance to discuss them all.
• Talk to your child before the meeting. Is there anything he or she would like you to discuss with the teacher?
• Try to be on time for your meeting and take notes. If you need clarification, ask for it.
• While infrequent, some meetings between parent and teacher may come about because of a problem the child is having, because you’re concerned about a rumor you’ve heard or because of something your child has told you about school.
• Put off making up your mind until you’ve had a chance to talk to the teacher.
• Keep the focus of the meeting on resolving problems and mapping out a plan that can help your child. Remember both you and the teacher want the best learning experience possible for your child. Together, you can provide it.