Navigating Parent Teacher Conferences

As a previous teacher, I've conducted a lot of Parent Teacher Conferences. However it wasn't until last year that I became the Parent in the Conferences. I made sure that Bobby was able to come with me because I was so nervous and emotional about what Bo's sweet teachers would say about him. Obviously, what we were told was no where near what I was expecting to hear.  Conferences are tough. These are our babes. We have conferences this week. Writing all of this was a great reminder for myself too.

After a couple of conferences as a parent and close to a million as a teacher, here are some tips that will hopefully help lessen your fears and worries.

Before

1. Write down what you think is the worst thing you could hear. I just recently did this with an OT Evaluation. After I wrote, I laughed at what I wrote. First, it was not a possibility and secondly, it really wasn't that bad.

2. I've had parents know themselves and ask for a brief summary of what we are going to talk about. This helps prepare themselves for the conference. Personally, I am a person that takes a long time to process my thoughts and emotions. I need to hear something and then think on it. If I don't (especially when it comes to my kids), I end up crying. If I have a brief summary, I'm able to be more in the moment and thoughtful about what is being said.

During

3. When your child's teacher tells you what they are working on, before you get upset or angry, ask one of these questions: Usually, the your child isn't the only one.

• Is this something I should be worried about?
• Are other children in the class working on this too?

4. Ask for specific ways that you can help at home. If they are struggling with sharing at Pre-School or Adding in 2nd Grade, they can always use a little extra help at home. Be sure to ask for specific phrases or strategies, so you can support directly. Teachers and Parents alike both hate hearing "That's not how we did it at ________"

After 

5. Make sure to celebrate your child's successes afterwards. Your kid does a lot of amazing things at school. I've watched too many parents zero in on the challenges rather than the successes. It's heartbreaking. 

6. Follow Up about what was talked about. Put it on your calendar specifically to check in and see if progress is being made. That way, you can make adjustments to continue to support.