COUNSELOR’S CORNER with Ms. Patty:

Preparing for Parent-Teacher Conferences

This post appeared in last week’s blog:

Next Friday, April 29th are Parent-Teacher Conferences.  These meetings are important opportunities for you to talk with your child’s teacher about how your child is progressing this school year.  They are also opportunities for you to learn how you might best support your child.  Here are a few things to keep in mind when preparing for the conference.

Before the appointment:

• Talk with your child.  Let them know that these meetings are routine and necessary for you and their teacher to best support their learning.  Ask your child if they have any concerns or questions they would like you to discuss with the teacher.  Find out what your child most and least enjoys about their school day.  This can often be shared with the teacher to help them better understand your child.
• Review the progress report.  
• Make a list of any questions or concerns you have about your child’s learning.  Teachers want to help you better understand your child’s learning so take a moment to reflect and determine what areas you are most interested in learning about.

At the conference:

• Be ready to collaborate.  Teachers often seek parent’s ideas or suggestions.  When teachers share areas of concern, they are typically doing so to help your child be more successful not to place blame.  Teachers want to partner with you to support your child’s growth.
• Ask for clarification.  When teachers speak about test scores, assessment criteria or other educational jargon, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification.

After the conference:

• Share with your child what you learned and what strategies are in place to help them be successful.
• Keep in touch.  Parent involvement is a key factor in academic achievement.

If you have any questions or concerns, Ms. Patty is available to support.  She can be reached at escounselor@isyedu.org

Patty Amundson-Geisel

Pre-K to Grade 6 Counselor