Tips for Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent-teacher conferences can be stressful for all involved.  As a teacher, it is our job to set the tone and mood of the conferences.  Here are some tips for your next parent-teacher conference!

Know the Schedule Ahead of Time

Before conferences start, make sure you know what parents are coming in and have information about their child ready. Teachers, especially at the secondary level, have a lot of students to remember.  But parents don’t always get this.  So if you are in a meeting and it seems like you’re struggling to remember who the child is, it is going to leave the parent confused and possibly annoyed or disappointed.

 

Listen to Parent Concerns

Sometimes, I feel like teachers just rapid-fire to parents a verbal progress report.  Take a moment to ask the parents if they have any specific questions or concerns.  You could begin the meeting this way to ensure that the parents leave feeling listened to and appreciated.  A parent that feels that the teacher respects them is going to be more cooperative when something comes up that could go negatively.

Set up Space in a Friendly Way

When you are setting up your room for parent-teacher conferences, imagine how the parent would feel when they come in and sit down.  I have worked with teachers who set up the room like an interrogation.  A good amount of the parents that come in comment on it and the teachers do not seem to see how this could create a negative dynamic.

Set up the classroom in a way where neither party is in a position of power, but you are sitting as equals.

 

Have a Time Keeper

Having someone be in charge of keeping time is a good way of keeping your conferences on track.  Maybe some students that need community service hours.  This way you are also not interrupting the parents mid though to end the meeting, but the reminder would come from an impartial party.

 

You are always going to have parents that come in with an ax to grind.  There will always be situations where there will be contention.  If you know ahead of time that you are going to have an irate parent, consider asking an administrator to be in the room for the meeting.

 

Also, Check-Out:

5 Tips for Positive Parent Communication

Ways to Use Social Media for Parent Communication