The Power of Parent Teacher Conferences

It’s that time of the school year again where the official end to the first nine weeks is here and more than likely you have received instructions from your child’s teacher for options to set up a parent teacher conference.  I’ve noticed lots of questions and comments from parents circulating around this topic such as How important is it that I attend? I feel like I met my child’s teacher(s) at back-to-school functions, why do we need to meet again? Does every parent get a request from the teacher for a conference or only some? Keep reading to find the answers and also learn a little more about the purpose of Fall parent teacher conferences.  In addition, if you are planning on attending, we’ve put together a Parent Teacher Conference Checklist that you can download for FREE to help you be prepared!

The Purpose of Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent teacher conferences are meant to serve as a more personal opportunity for you to sit down with a teacher privately and discuss your child’s progress as well as strengths and weaknesses both academically and behaviorally.  While you do have an opportunity to meet and chat with teachers at “Back to School” night related functions, these encounters are usually brief and definitely not private.  Most schools plan a parent teacher conference day in their academic calendar and set teacher hours later in the day making it possible for parents to attend without having to take time off work. 

Perfect Timing: The Advantage of Fall Parent Teacher Conferences

The end of the first nine weeks is usually the time school’s host parent teacher conferences for several reasons.  At this point in the school year, teachers have had enough time to gauge students’ performance and abilities and can offer you a good assessment of how they are doing.  In addition, with report cards coming home soon, teachers have recorded a substantial number of grades that they can report to you that you both can analyze for trends and pinpoint areas of strength and weakness.  There is also enough data at this point to identify if your child may be struggling, but early enough in the school year to make suggestions on how you can help them turn that around and have more success. (Struggling with math? Check out Math Hero for Parents)

How Important Is It to Attend Your Parent Teacher Conference?

Trust me, teachers more than anyone, know all too well the value of time. Life is busy and we know you may have other obligations and are not able to attend. However, if you are able, I think it is important to attend even if your child is rocking the school year with straight A’s. Why? Because whether they will tell you this or not, it’s important to your kid. It shows them that you support them and are an active participant in their education.

If your child has struggled academically or had behavior problems so far this school year, there is no better way to hash out a plan to get them on track than sitting down with their teacher and talking about it. Whether any other teacher will admit to this or not, we subliminally work harder at enforcing said plans for those students whose parents show up and act as a contributing partner because it holds us accountable. There is a big difference as a teacher in thinking I really need to figure out how to help Johnny, and in thinking I need to make sure I do “xyz” for Johnny like I discussed with his parents at the conference. Just telling it like it is people.

Those students who may not be struggling or have a specific topic that needs to be discussed at a conference still need you to go so that their teacher can tell you how great they are doing. It’s like a reward for all of their hard work! Just go and I promise you they will be asking with giddy anticipation, What did my teacher say?! Because they can’t wait for you to tell them all the positive things and hear how proud you are of them!

Do All Parents Get a Request for a Parent Teacher Conference?

This is something that varies by school district and grade level. In general, smaller schools that have less students want teachers to send out requests and time options to all parents. It is harder for larger schools with a higher population to do this because the number of students exceeds the number of time slots available. In these environments, teachers are encouraged to send invites only to the parents of students that they really need to speak with. Additionally, as your student gets older and into middle school and high school, parent teacher conferences change into more of a “Parent Teacher Conference Day” format where instead of scheduling times, all parents are invited to come and go as best fits their schedule on a certain day.

Finally, I would like to close by saying that these traditional Fall Parent Teacher Conferences also are a way to give both parents and teachers the opportunity to schedule a meeting that maybe has been needing to happen but has been put off for whatever reason.  If that resonates with you and you are not/were not able to attend this round of conferences, remember that a parent teacher conference can be scheduled at any time during the school year! Just contact your child’s teacher and set one up!  

P.S. Don’t forget to grab your FREE Parent Teacher Conference Checklist!