Communicating at Parent-Teacher Conferences

I’m good at planning, and I really enjoy doing it. That’s not bragging; that’s self-awareness. It’s one of my strengths, and I believe in working out of your strengths. I’m always thinking ahead and planning how best to meet the known challenges and events on my calendar. I like being prepared. So even if my plan isn’t the best, some kind of plan is better than no kind of plan in my mind.

Remembering the Details

Parent-Teacher Conferences are still a few weeks away in my district, but I’m already planning what to share with families when we meet. I really want that time to be valuable for everyone involved. Right from the first day of school, as I interact with my new students and get to know them, questions and situations occur that I think, “I should remember to share that at conferences.” Now, what do you think the odds are that I remember most of those thoughts by the time conferences roll around? Right. So I came up with a plan.

Getting Ready

Almost right from the start of the school year, I have my conference reports printed and labeled with each student’s name. I set aside some time throughout each week to add notes, questions, and data that I want to be sure to share when it’s time for parent-teacher conferences. It really doesn’t take that much time since I’m not writing something down every day for every student. For instance, I might want to share a specific detail about how a student struggled with a skill and the strategies we used in class to overcome that difficulty. This detail wouldn’t necessarily apply to every child in my class so these notes are quick and succinct. I’m not writing an essay – just jotting down a few words to remind me of the larger issue.

What strengths do you use to be an effective teacher? Knowing what you’re good at is helpful in being the best version of yourself in the classroom. Also, knowing what is not a strength can lead you to reach out and rely on your colleagues in a healthy way. Click on the link below to get this parent-teacher conference report for yourself! Happy teaching!