Pre-K Parent Conferences

Parent Teacher Conferences

Here are some ideas for parent teacher conferences

Conferences are so overwhelming, where do I start?

It's true, holding parent teacher conferences can be overwhelming at first. It's important to establish goals for yourself during conferences so you can remain focused and on schedule. I try to organize my conferences according to the list below:

Scheduling
Preparing
Reminding
Following Up

You may want to read a few of the articles below in the table titled: "Parent Teacher Conference Resources" to get you started:

Parent Teacher Conference Resources
Scholastic	Teacher Tips
How to handle difficult conferences	A to Z Teacher Stuff
Student Led Conferences	Making the Most of Conferences
Assessment Article	Dealing with Difficult Parents

How to make scheduling conferences work for you:

Scheduling can often be the most difficult part of the parent teacher conference process. Every school district has different rules; some require that all conferences be done in one day- a very exhausting and daunting task for everybody involved, others require that teachers fulfill their conference obligations on their own time, meaning after school. However your district decides to handle conferences you will still have to deal with scheduling headaches. Here are some suggestions below:

If you see most of your student's parents on a daily basis put a sign-up sheet outside your classroom door with a variety of different dates and times listed. Send home a note or publish in your newsletter that the sign-up sheet will be posted outside of your door beginning on (date) and the times are available on a first come first serve basis. Take the sign-up sheet to dismissal with you to catch any parents that might have missed it. If you have any parents who did not sign-up call them personally on the phone.

If you do not see your student's parents regularly then you might want to consider sending home a note asking the parents what dates and times are best for them to meet. Make a sign-up sheet and keep it on your desk and as the notes are returned write the parents preferences on the sheet. Send home a note to those that responded notifying them that you have scheduled their conference according to their previous response and you look forward to seeing them on (date and time).

If you teach in a school where it is almost impossible to get parents to come to conferences then a more direct approach will be required. Many parents will not come to school given the choice, so asking "When would you like to meet for a conference?" is not an effective method for scheduling conferences. It is important to note that parent teacher conferences are not the norm in many foreign countries and parents may have a fear of the unknown. However, if parents feel that attending a conference with their child's teacher is a requirement then they may be more likely to attend. If you choose this approach it is best to know the work schedules of the parents (i.e. who works nights, who works 9-5 etc). Create a sign-up sheet with the dates and times of all your available conferences and simply fill in the students names according to what you know about the parent's work schedule. Send home a note to each parent stating the time and date of the scheduled conference.

If you are unable to schedule a parent for a conference after repeated attempts have failed then you may want to ask your principal if a phone conference is acceptable. Some parents simply cannot or will not be able to meet for a conference with their child's teacher and they may be more comfortable speaking with you on the telephone. I once had a parent who had two sets of twins under the age of four years in addition to the student in my class and she simply could not take all of the children up to the school for a conference so she chose to hold her conference via telephone.

How to stick to your schedule:

Another challenging aspect of parent teacher conferences is staying on schedule. You do not want to make the parents who are waiting angry, this would not be a positive way to start a conference. Many parents may have to take time off work to attend a conference so their time is at a premium and it's best to move things along in a timely fashion to keep everybody happy. That is why it's so important to have an agenda of some sort before you start your conferences, even if it's only in your head. If you state in your newsletter or a note home that each conference lasts only a certain number of minutes (whatever your district requires) it may help keep things on track. Also, place a small clock on the table in front of you so everybody will know what time it is. I try to keep my conferences on track by remembering the acronym "RAP", Report Card, Assessment, and Portfolio. After the initial introductions and formalities I go over each of those aforementioned items before I open the meeting up for questions.

How to prepare for conferences:

Having an organizational system in place before you begin your conferences is the best way to make sure everything goes smoothly. If possible, place all papers that you want to review with the parents in individual file folders or "portfolios" for each student. This way you won't waste any valuable time looking for papers in several different locations, when it's conference time all you will have to look for is one folder. If you plan on giving parents handouts have them prepared and ready to go in the portfolio, or laid out on a table.

Conference Reminders:

What may seem like an insignificant part of the conference process is actually one of the most important, reminders. Parents are very busy people and conference reminders are a must if you expect to finish your conferences before the next school year starts :) Conference reminders don't need to be elaborate, hand-written notes, just short, simple, and to the point. It is best to send conference reminder notes home at least one day in advance if possible. Here is an example: "I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, (date) at (time) to discuss your child's progress. If you are unable to attend this conference for any reason please call the following number and leave a message (include school phone number) or e-mail me at: (include e-mail address)."

Following Up:

After all conferences are finished I make sure to include a general "Thank you" to all parents who attended in my weekly newsletter; "Thank you to all those who attended parent teacher conferences this month. If you were unable to attend your child's conference please contact me at your earliest convenience to re-schedule." If worded in this manner you may be able to finally get those parents in for conferences who failed to show up previously, it may sound silly but it actually does work.