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Talking with the Teacher
Making the Most out of Parent-Teacher Conferences
By Cinthia Haan
People who work in the business world know the value of identifying a set of objectives before going into a business meeting. Parents can use this same technique for their children's parent-teacher conferences and come away with useful information to help their children learn better.
Before the conference:
- Review your child's homework, tests and projects so that you are familiar with the curriculum and methods that the teacher is using.
- Write down any questions you have and bring them to the conference.
- Conduct some simple at-home research on what your child knows. For example, have your child read a page or two aloud. Ask her to write some items on the shopping list for you or a short note to someone – use this to check handwriting and spelling. Play a game that involves math at your child's level.
- If you suspect that your child is behind (or ahead of) most of the class in a subject area, be prepared to discuss this with the teacher.
- Schedule appointments with any relevant staff member you will not automatically meet (i.e. principal, guidance counselor, resource room teacher, etc.). These are important relationships to develop.
At the conference:
- Make a note of the schoolwork displayed in the classrooms and hallways. See if your child's is among them; if not, find out why.
- Also scan the posted work for insight into what is being studied and how the material is being approached.
- Go in with a positive approach that assumes the school has your child's best interests at heart.
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