When Parents & Teachers Meet - Another Take on the Parent-Teacher Conference

Mrs. D shares some first-hand advice from a teacher’s perspective in her article “Preparing For the Parent-Teacher Conference” available online at:http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/68592/preparing_for_the_parntteacher_conference.html. It is great to hear an experienced teacher’s perspective on parent-teacher conferences. As a veteran of dozens of the yearly meetings, I’ve certainly formulated my own opinion about how to prepare and navigate the conferences. While I agree with Mrs. D. on many points, I think there may be more to keep in mind - and maybe some advice for teachers as well… 

As an involved parent, I’ve had my own “take” on these annual meetings and have developed some suggestions and coping tools for making the most of these educational updates that may compliment Mrs. D‘s ideas.
I do agree with Mrs. D that preparation is key. By having an idea of what your child is bringing home, as well as comments and other feedback you have received so far - you’ll have a good “jumping off” point for the conversation. But, I also think a conference is a good time to share with the teacher the parent’s perspective on homework and the grades and papers you are seeing. Is it taking your child a long time to complete homework and is it requiring a great deal of parental help? Is your child getting stressed and nervous about work or dreading going to school in the mornings? Or is your child breezing through things and saying he is bored or school is too easy?