Open lines of communication between parents and teachers are important for the education and development of the child. Many parents and teachers are usually in contact via phone and/or email nowadays, but quarterly or bi-annual parent/teacher conferences are also very vital! Before the meeting, it’s important to think of any questions to ask at parent teacher conference. Here are a few key ones to always ask:
Find out if you can do more for your child at home.
Be sure to ask the teacher what areas or subjects your child might be struggling with. Ask how you could work with your child at home to help improve these areas. Don’t be afraid to ask for a list of resources that you can seek out to help with this. Maybe there is an app that can help her with her spelling? Or maybe the teacher can give you a name of a good math tutor for your son? Most teachers will be more than willing to offer up ideas on ways you can help your child work on any areas of development that they may need a little extra work on. Remember, everyone wants to see your child succeed!
Ask the teacher what she notices about your child’s social behavior.
While it is extremely important to keep tabs on your child’s academic success, it is also a good idea to know what’s going on with them on a social level as well. Ask the teacher who she mostly sees your child hanging out with while she’s in school? How does your child behave well in school? Does she follow rules appropriately? Does she seemed overly influenced by her peers?
Many children tend to act different in school than they do at home. The parent/teacher conference is the perfect opportunity for you and your child’s teacher to let each other know any worrisome or exceptional social behaviors.
Inquire about the road ahead in your child’s school year and transition to the next grade.
Use this opportunity to discuss what your child’s teacher thinks will be on the road ahead in your child’s educational path. Do they think your child will be able to advance to the next grade? Do they have any suggestions for activities or extracurricular activities that your child might be a good fit for as they age? Are there any major state exams on the horizon that you should be aware of?
Planning for things that your child will encounter int he near future in school are just as important as getting her through this year. Discussing these things with her teacher will help you be more informed and can therefore let her know of things yet to come.
Ask the teacher if there are other ways you could help.
Many teachers spend their own money on supplies for their classrooms. Even with this in mind, many teachers still have lists of items that they could use in the room to help teach important lessons. The lack of critical supplies or extra sets of hands for activities/field trips, will ultimately effect your child’s education. If you are able to, volunteer to chaperone an educational outing for your child’s class. Or ask the teacher if there is anything else you can do to help make this school year a very productive one for all of her students.
Remember, your child’s classroom is where she will spend most of her time outside of your care. Finding out what you can do to make that environment the best it possibly can be will only benefit your child and her classmates. Plus, teachers need a little help and extra care every so often too. After all, they do so much for our kiddos all year long.
