Parents and Teachers As Partners
When your children are in school the one thing you can count on in the Fall and Spring are the annual Parent/Teacher conference days. Do you look forward to them or do you dread them? As a parent I was always eager to hear what teachers had to tell me about my children, but in the back of my mind there was always some worry. Was I doing everything I needed to do to help my children in school? Are they following through with assignments? What if they are failing?
As a teacher, conferences centered on the same types of concerns as well as trying to develop a sense of being a partner with parents in the student's education. Getting ready for the conference, I spent time reflecting on each child in my room and determining what points I felt were most important to our discussion of the child's progress. I made sure I had all the important information I needed to share with the parents.
What can parents do to make sure that conferences are informative and successful? Parents too can spend time reflecting on their child and what questions or concerns they may have regarding what is happening in the classroom. As a parent, you know your child and can be a great source of information for the teacher.
It's important that conferences be as productive as possible due to the short time allotted, usually around 20 minutes. To get ready for the conference, a parent can write down points they would like to see discussed. Things that might concern parents are how the child is progressing, are they on grade level, is my child's behavior acceptable, is my child making friends and getting along socially?
Parents should be prepared to share with the teacher important information about things that may be happening at home. Teachers are not trying to be nosy about personal situations but what happens at home can affect a child's performance at school. It is possible to answer questions and give information without sharing a lot of personal details.
Additional things that parents might consider asking about are what the teacher's expectations are for the classroom and if their child is having any difficulties with academics, socially or with behavior.
Teachers want to discuss these topics with parents also. They may bring up such things as absences or missing work. It is important that parents check work that has been sent home so they have an idea as to what the teacher is talking about. A child who misses a lot of school or who is not turning in homework will suffer the consequences.
A child's school attendance may become a topic for the conference. Attendance will determine if that child will be successful with what is being taught. Studies have shown that students who attend school regularly are able to achieve at a higher academic rate than those who miss many days. Parents can make sure their children remain healthy and get to school.
Organization at home may also be a part of the conference. Getting children organized so they turn in their homework is important for school success. Taking an active role in helping a child become organized will ensure that paperwork for school is turned in and in later years this will be rewarded with the child being able to take care of these things himself.
Sometimes conflicts occur between teachers and parents. As a teacher, I worked hard to make sure the parent knew I had the child's best interest at heart. Parents become protective of their children when they hear stories of injustices the child reports to have suffered at school. Going into the conference with an open mind and realizing that only one side of the story has been heard will help parents determine if a problem exists.
I have always felt that parents truly do want to do the best they can for their children. Parents want children to succeed in school, so partnering with your child's teacher is something parents can do to ensure success. When children know that parents and teachers are communicating positively and are working together, they have a more positive attitude towards school. Today's parents are stressed with many things taking their time and energy. Teachers realize this and want to help any way they can to make sure the student is successful in their classroom.