Parent-teacher conferences are just around the corner, and while they can feel a little overwhelming, they don’t have to be! With a little preparation, you can walk into those meetings feeling confident and ready to have meaningful conversations with parents. Whether it’s your first round of conferences or you’re a seasoned pro, these 4 helpful tips will ensure you’re organized, prepared, and able to showcase your students’ progress in the best light. Let’s dive in and get you set for smooth and successful conferences!
What are the keys to a successful parent-teacher conference?
In order to walk away from your parent-teacher conferences feeling successful, it’s crucial to be proactive and be prepared. The purpose of the parent-teacher conference is to communicate a student’s strengths, areas for growth, and a plan for how you will address needs at school as well as how families can support at home.
Keys to a successful conference:
- Start with positives
- Focus on the plan to support growth
- Avoid griping or complaining
- Invite other stakeholders (reading specialist, speech therapist, behavior specialist) if you feel you need additional support
- Share student work
- End on a personal note
Tip #1: Preparation is essential
While I don’t typically advocate for working outside of school hours, parent-teacher conference season is one of those busy times of year that requires additional time to prepare. It’s one of those things that will pay off later.
First, I like to send a parent survey. I’ve done a paper survey or Google Forms survey. I think I prefer the digital one because it’s paperless and I can refer back to it if needed without having to hold on to a stack of paperwork. Keep it short and sweet. The goal is to get ahead of any major concerns and be prepared for what might be brought up during the conference. Include questions like:
- What questions do you have about your child’s progress?
- How do you feel the school year is going so far?
- Are there any additional materials or resources you feel would help you support your child’s learning?
- Open-ended question so they can add any additional comments/questions
This will ensure that you can be proactive. If a parent wants additional math materials to work on multiplication, you can have that ready to give to them at conferences. If a parent has a question or concern about speech or another learning concern, you can seek out assistance instead of being caught off guard.
Second, I take time to create a student conference form. This helps me stay on track with my talking points and keeps all information in one place. I include important assessment scores as well as some anecdotal notes about reading, writing, math and behavior.
This is as much for me as it is for the parents. It helps me structure the time productively and ensure I don’t miss anything important. While it takes time to create for each student, I find it totally worth it.
Tip #2: Show that you know their child
The way to a parent’s heart is to show you know their child as more than just a learner. I like to tell a story about something they did or said. Or, I check in about their soccer season or piano recital. This shows that I have been putting an effort into learning about their child’s interests. Even if it’s just a comment about how Sally comes in with a smile on her face each morning or Timmy always tells stories about his pet tarantula, any little piece of information is going to go a long way with families. It shows you have been building a relationship with their child and you care which makes them feel safe.
Tip #3: Compliment Sandwich
Sometime there are some difficult conversations to be had at parent-teacher conferences. If there have been concerns, hopefully they have been brought to the parents’ attention before this moment. Regardless, you should start with something positive and end with something positive.
I always like to have something to give to parents to take with them. Since our conferences are typically right before Thanksgiving, I either have a writing piece about gratitude or a math activity about shopping for Thanksgiving dinner. It just provides a little extra something to put a smile on a parents’ face. It’s a good segue back to something positive after you might have to share that Jonny is struggle with math facts or Tina is having a difficult time being kind to her friends. I like to sandwich those more challenging conversations in between positivity.
If you have a hard time coming up with comments for parent-teacher conferences or report cards, you are in luck! I have prepared a list of comments to pull from and it’s totally free!
And there you have it—4 simple yet powerful tips to help you ace your parent-teacher conferences! A little prep work goes a long way in making sure those meetings run smoothly and give parents the insight they need to support their child’s learning. Remember, these conferences are all about building partnerships and celebrating growth. So take a deep breath, trust yourself, and get ready to have some productive and positive conversations with your students’ biggest fans. You’ve got this!
