Parent teacher conferences are terrifying. Especially if you’ve never done them before. I don’t know about you, but as soon as I am face to face with parents, everything I thought I was going to say goes right out the window, it’s suddenly 150 degrees, and I don’t remember my name.
But that doesn’t have to be you! I’ve gone through all of the awkward and terrible experiences for you, and I’ve come out alive to share my Top 5 tips for surviving (and having amazing!) parent-teacher conferences.
Let’s jump right in with number 1:
BE PREPARED.
Do yourself a favor and jot down some notes of the main points you want to discuss with each family, because as soon as they come into your classroom, you’re going to forget everything. You’re better off having some notes to work off of to keep you on track and focused. (You’ll thank me later.) I like to use a conference planning sheet for each of my kids so I can jot down their strengths and goals for the year, as well as show parents specific things that their kids have and haven’t mastered yet. If this sounds like something you want to try, you can grab yours for free here!
Number 2: START BY SHARING SOMETHING POSITIVE.
As nervous as you are during conferences, parents are usually just as worried. Starting the conference by sharing something positive (something the student is great at, a story about them being helpful, a time when they worked really hard, etc.) can help put the parents at ease. This is also very important when you have tough news to share with a parent. Sharing positive news first is always a good idea to help show parents that you see more in their child than just the news you have to give them.
Number 3: BUILD BREAKS INTO YOUR SCHEDULE.
Some of your conferences are bound to run over their scheduled time frame. By building a 15-20 minute break into the middle of your schedule, you build in a buffer so that your second half of the night can begin on time. You also have a few minutes to use the bathroom, get a drink of water, and eat candy. It’s a win, win!
Number 4: PLEASE KNOCK!
Yes, some conferences will run over their time slot, but it’s important to remember to be as respectful of everyone’s time as possible. This can be hard when you’re in the middle of talking with parents. A great tip I learned a few years ago is to enlist the help of the parents waiting to keep you on schedule. I hang a sign on my classroom door that says “please knock at your scheduled time” to help me stay on schedule. I don’t have to worry too much about looking at the clock since the next parents will knock on their door when it is their conference time. This takes a lot of pressure off me, and I don’t have to tell the parent that it’s time to wrap up!
Last but not least, we’re finally at number 5:
WRITE IT DOWN.
Throughout your conferences, parents might ask you to send something home or to do something afterwards. Make sure you have a spot where you can make yourself a list of things that you need to follow up on, so you don’t drop the ball. Even just keeping a post it and a pen nearby is good enough. You don’t want to accidentally agree to do something and then wind up forgetting by the time you start your next conference.
So, are you ready to rock your parent teacher conferences? Let me know in the comments which tip you found most helpful!
And if you’re looking to jump right in, I’ve got the templates that I use to prepare and a ready made sign to hang on your door! Click here to download them now!
