Parent teacher conferences are fast approaching and planning for them can be stressful. With a class full of students a teacher can quickly get overwhelmed by the feeling of needing to push out tons of information within a small window of time. With conference times usually a mere 15 minutes this really can seem daunting.
There is the traditional parent teacher conference where the teacher sits and discusses the report card, the behavior, the academic concerns and then graciously thanks the parents for coming in and escorts them out the door. Now, my own experience, as the parent, with this whirlwind traditional conference is this... I left feeling like it happened so fast it was all a blur and I usually could only remember bits and pieces of the information. The academic jargon that was relayed to me went in one ear and out the other. What I really wanted to know was the teacher's personal connection to my child. What did she feel were my child's successes. I know that sounds horrible, but I wanted to hear the positives about what I was doing right and what my child was doing right and then I wanted to know what I could do next. Knowing the positives motivated me to want to work harder with my child. Yep that's right! I wanted a pat on the back for me and my child and then my next to do list! Awful isn't it? But the reality is THAT IS THE TRUTH!
The best conferences I've had, both as a parent and as a teacher, are the ones where we visited together. We simply talked about our student. We talked about what they were like at school vs. at home. We talked about the parents and what their schedule was like and what their evenings at home were like. I learned so much about their families just by visiting with them. Do we have to talk academics, sure. Does it need to be the only thing we talk about....Absolutely not! Take the pressure off yourself and relax. Parents have the report card. They can look at their child's report card on their own. They don't need the teacher to read it to them. What if you let the parents do the talking?
I prefer a more non-traditional conference. I start my conferences by thanking them for coming in. I then share a story about their child. I share what their child is like in my classroom. (Ex: a natural leader, shy, friendly, risk taker, which subject they love, etc...) This usually gets the conversation started about how they are at home and so... I LISTEN! I learn so much from this short conversation! Parents get to share their praises for their child or their concerns. It opens the door for a partnership that will grow further than just a 15 minute conference.
Remember that if there are real concerns about their child's progress, or lack thereof, a conversation should have been had long before the first parent teacher conference.
I love the time I get to spend with my families at conferences because it is genuine. We have to remember that we are all sitting in the conference because we all care about this child. It's our job to welcome these families into our classroom and create a partnership that will lead to this child's success. How we do that is up to us. What would happen if we did it in an informal setting? What if we did it just by listening and sharing? Imagine the possibilities if we stepped outside of the traditional setting and tried something different! Just imagine...
~Liz
There is the traditional parent teacher conference where the teacher sits and discusses the report card, the behavior, the academic concerns and then graciously thanks the parents for coming in and escorts them out the door. Now, my own experience, as the parent, with this whirlwind traditional conference is this... I left feeling like it happened so fast it was all a blur and I usually could only remember bits and pieces of the information. The academic jargon that was relayed to me went in one ear and out the other. What I really wanted to know was the teacher's personal connection to my child. What did she feel were my child's successes. I know that sounds horrible, but I wanted to hear the positives about what I was doing right and what my child was doing right and then I wanted to know what I could do next. Knowing the positives motivated me to want to work harder with my child. Yep that's right! I wanted a pat on the back for me and my child and then my next to do list! Awful isn't it? But the reality is THAT IS THE TRUTH!
The best conferences I've had, both as a parent and as a teacher, are the ones where we visited together. We simply talked about our student. We talked about what they were like at school vs. at home. We talked about the parents and what their schedule was like and what their evenings at home were like. I learned so much about their families just by visiting with them. Do we have to talk academics, sure. Does it need to be the only thing we talk about....Absolutely not! Take the pressure off yourself and relax. Parents have the report card. They can look at their child's report card on their own. They don't need the teacher to read it to them. What if you let the parents do the talking?
I prefer a more non-traditional conference. I start my conferences by thanking them for coming in. I then share a story about their child. I share what their child is like in my classroom. (Ex: a natural leader, shy, friendly, risk taker, which subject they love, etc...) This usually gets the conversation started about how they are at home and so... I LISTEN! I learn so much from this short conversation! Parents get to share their praises for their child or their concerns. It opens the door for a partnership that will grow further than just a 15 minute conference.
Remember that if there are real concerns about their child's progress, or lack thereof, a conversation should have been had long before the first parent teacher conference.
I love the time I get to spend with my families at conferences because it is genuine. We have to remember that we are all sitting in the conference because we all care about this child. It's our job to welcome these families into our classroom and create a partnership that will lead to this child's success. How we do that is up to us. What would happen if we did it in an informal setting? What if we did it just by listening and sharing? Imagine the possibilities if we stepped outside of the traditional setting and tried something different! Just imagine...
~Liz
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