Prior to conferences taking place where you have to have difficult discussions, it is super helpful to talk to your colleagues and brainstorm how to handle the conversation and lean on their own experience for how to approach the topic. It is a great way to have a record of each meeting, too!īrainstorm with colleagues to gain more insight before having difficult discussions. The 101 Ideas for Parent Conferences eBook has tons of reproducible letters and forms you can use for these types of scenarios rather than creating them from scratch. I will then make a copy of the document to give to the parents and keep one for myself. I also like to include a place on each conference document for myself to sign and for the parent or parents to sign.
It is easier to have some talking points around those difficult topics before the conference happens than to try and come up with them in the middle of talking to a family. You will want to make sure that the document you use includes a place to have information on the student’s grades or levels for each of the subjects, a list of strengths, and a list of places for students to improve.įor a particularly difficult conference dealing with behaviors, be sure to have concrete examples, like behavior referrals or anecdotal notes, to share with the parents. You can create your own document or find it on teacher sharing sites. I’m not saying a word-for-word script, but having a document with the main points you need to address keeps you from going blank in the middle of the conference or forgetting specifics you may have wanted to discuss. It is so important to prepare what you want to say before you meet with each family. In my experience, it helps keep me and the parents aware of our time limit and ensures you don’t run into the next conference without a breather.Ĭreate an agenda or conference form for each child. With that schedule, I like to post it on my board or display it on the table where I am meeting with parents. Make sure you leave time for lunch as well! If your school district has dedicated conference days, make sure you leave enough time in between to catch your breath, get ready for the next one, take care of yourself, etc. You do not need to stay until 8 o’clock after school and then jeopardize your time at home and need to rest after the school day. If you are seeing parents after school, offer a few times. Teachers are superheroes, but seeing all 25 families in one day would be impossible for anyone. When setting up the times you are available, make sure it is realistic for you. Two to three weeks before conferences are to be held, send out a sign-up sheet or use a web service like Signup Genius to send them out easily to the parents. Here are some helpful pieces of information to have set before your conferences start. What you don’t want is to be stumbling over your words or shuffling through papers. The first key to prepare for parent teacher conferences is to be PREPARED! The easiest way to calm those butterflies is to be prepared before the conference happens. Seems intimidating, right? I promise it doesn’t have to be, and I’ll show you how with some tried and true parent teacher conference tips for teachers, both new and veteran, to prepare for successful parent teacher conferences without your nerves running amok! You don’t want to cause tension or drama, but you also have to tell the parents what you see, where the child is, and what really needs to be said.
Here you are, the teacher, talking to the parents of a child who is their pride and joy. But when it comes to talking to adults? It can be nerve-racking, especially during parent teacher conferences. As teachers, it is in our bones to talk to children.
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