How to Prepare For Parent-Teacher Interviews

Report cards are coming home soon, followed by parent-teacher interviews. These conferences deserve an important place in your busy calendar. Meeting your child’s teacher helps to build a partnership that encourages ongoing communication throughout the year.

These interviews are not just reserved for parents if there are concerns to be discussed. There are many reasons why you should take the opportunity to sit down with your child’s teacher whatever their grade level!

Five Reasons to Attend Parent-Teacher Interviews

• Meet the teacher in person and put a face to a name (this helps the teacher, too)!

• Opportunity to discuss on progress, achievements, and social well-being

• Gain an understanding of your child’s strengths and needs

• Send a message to your child that you are interested in their success

• See the space where they spend their days

Preparing for a parent-teacher interview can ensure that you will have a positive and successful meeting.

We have some helpful tips to make the most of the time:

Getting Ready for the Interview

First, talk to your child to find out more about their thoughts and feelings about themselves as a learner and about school

• Find out what they like most and least about school

• What are their favourite and least favourite subjects

• Discuss in more detail subjects that they find difficult and if there are carry over problems from previous years

• Try to find out if they have any worries

Prior to the meeting write down a list of the things that you want to talk about with the teacher. Interviews are using limited for time, so being prepared helps to keep the conversation focussed and moving forward. Some topics you may want to discuss:

• Your child’s progress, how are they moving along the learning continuum

• How you, the teacher and the school can work together to best support your child

• Information you want to share that will help the teacher gain a better understanding of your child

At the interview, allow the teacher to express their views and truly listen to the feedback. Make sure that you ask questions that focus the discussion on topics you find the most relevant and important.

General questions you may want to ask:

• May I see an example of _____ (this may be writing, a math problem etc).

• Can you show me what a grade level example

• What kinds of projects and assignments have been planned?

• How long should my child be spending on homework?

• How would you assess her/his progress so far this year?

• Does my child participate in class discussions and activities?

• How well does my child get along with others?

• What can I do at home with my child to reinforce what you are teaching in class?

Before you leave the interview, you and the teacher should have an action plan to support your child’s learning.

• Be sure you clearly understand what the teacher suggests

• Agree how you can work together

• Set up a way to check on your child’s progress at home

• Choose a time when you will connect again with the teacher (e.g., six weeks, end of month etc).

After the interview, review the appropriate details with your child and discuss any action plans. Set up a schedule to implement the steps you agreed to work on at home. Stay in touch with the teacher to discuss your child’s progress

By working closely with your child and establishing a good working relationship with their teachers, you can help your child have a successful school year.