Advice History

It's a good idea to go into a teacher conference first as a listener. The teacher will probably have lots to say about your child and if you start by listening, you may hear things you didn't know about your child. The teacher will give you information on your child's strengths and weaknesses, tell you what she is doing to help and give you ideas on what you can do at home to help as well.  If you have questions, write them down before the meeting and ask them after the teacher has given you her report on your child. Some of the questions might be answered within the meeting.  Don't be afraid to disagree with a teacher's assessment, just choose your words wisely -- you don't want a conflict you have with the teacher to interfere with how she teaches your child. 

 

You also don't want to bully your child's teacher or contradict them just because you think you know your child completely. Remember, the teacher sees your child in a different social setting than you do everyday so take that into consideration when you disagree on something. The teacher is a human being with feelings that can be hurt when parents come off too strongly -- they're also professionals with more experience teaching children than most parents. Trust their judgment, or at least be willing to consider it.