It's that time of the year, folks! Most people absolutely dread them, so I'm going to give you some tips and pointers on how to make them less daunting. Don't get me wrong - I don't enjoy them either, but being prepared and organised will definitely help matters.
Before
When organising your meetings, try organise them strategically. So, for example, try not to have lots of 'tricky' ones all together. You will be completely drained and you'll find it very difficult to get your points across. Also, try spread them out a little bit. I have some of mine organised for mornings before school, and then over the course of four afternoons. Obvioulsy, this may not work for everybody, and it may not be the 'done thing' in your school, but if you can do this, it will definitely help you get through them! I know some schools insist on them being done over two evenings, which is all good in theory, but tough in practice.
I always do notes on each child before parent-teacher meetings. I know some teachers prefer not to and just prefer to talk off the cuff or use their test results and speak about them. Personally, I would not be able to do that, so I use a template like this and prepare the week before. It's simple to make up a little table like this, just to keep you on point.
When organising your meetings, try organise them strategically. So, for example, try not to have lots of 'tricky' ones all together. You will be completely drained and you'll find it very difficult to get your points across. Also, try spread them out a little bit. I have some of mine organised for mornings before school, and then over the course of four afternoons. Obvioulsy, this may not work for everybody, and it may not be the 'done thing' in your school, but if you can do this, it will definitely help you get through them! I know some schools insist on them being done over two evenings, which is all good in theory, but tough in practice.
I always do notes on each child before parent-teacher meetings. I know some teachers prefer not to and just prefer to talk off the cuff or use their test results and speak about them. Personally, I would not be able to do that, so I use a template like this and prepare the week before. It's simple to make up a little table like this, just to keep you on point.
I do a Literacy and Numeracy assessment with the children this week too, just to have something to refer to,and I will have these to hand during the meetings. I will also refer to attendace as it can be an issue with some of my children. I will print off the attendance record from Aladdin to help me with this.
I know some of my colleagues are using the report card templates from Aladdin to inform their meetings. This will also aid them when creating the real reports in June - which seems so far away!!!!
I know some of my colleagues are using the report card templates from Aladdin to inform their meetings. This will also aid them when creating the real reports in June - which seems so far away!!!!
And finally, right before you begin, check that you haven't got paint/snot/clay/playdough on your face/jumper/hair, etc and maybe go to the toilet - it may be a while before you can get a chance to go!
During
So, to start, sit back, and ask the parent if they would like to begin by discussing anything. Let them talk! It might sound strange, but this gives them a chance to get something off their chest or ask about something in particular. I always finish by asking this too, or ask them if they need anything clarified.
A parent-teacher meeting is meant to be a way for the teacher to connect with the parents and create some links between school and home. Often, it can be difficult to interact with parents - sometimes they collect and drop the kids so quickly that we don't really get to meet them and discuss the children. So, when connecting with people, the best way to do this is to be open and honest, and putting across any 'negative points' in a constructive way.
And you've probably all heard this a million times, but the sandwich method can be a very good way of doing this. Literally, by sandwiching the 'bad news' between two pieces of 'good news' - I always try end on a positive and something to work on at home.
And you've probably all heard this a million times, but the sandwich method can be a very good way of doing this. Literally, by sandwiching the 'bad news' between two pieces of 'good news' - I always try end on a positive and something to work on at home.
So, for example -
Positive: Child is doing really well since September. I'm very happy with how (s)he is doing, and I'm impressed that homework is being done every day.
Constuctive: Child is finding some sight words difficult. These are the words that cannot be sounded out - they just need to be learned. It may help to revise the Dolch lists each night - maybe choose two per night, along with the homework, just to improve their fluency and how quickly they can figure out words during reading.
Positive: Child has lovely manners and they are always well-behaved in class.
When you're speaking to parents, remember, they are not always up to date with the 'jargon' we sometimes use. It may be a long time since they have been in the education system in Ireland (if ever!) and they may not understand some of the terms that we use in schools at the moment. Just consider this - if you went to a doctor and they spoke in their lingo, with all their complicated phrases and terminology, we would be confused. So, just be careful not to overload the parents with loads of information - try have some concrete examples to show them, rather than lots of spoken information. Also, bear in mind, the parent may not have fantastic English, so may find it difficult to communicate with you. Often, having a visual to help explain things will help here. This one from the NCCA is quite good :)
Positive: Child is doing really well since September. I'm very happy with how (s)he is doing, and I'm impressed that homework is being done every day.
Constuctive: Child is finding some sight words difficult. These are the words that cannot be sounded out - they just need to be learned. It may help to revise the Dolch lists each night - maybe choose two per night, along with the homework, just to improve their fluency and how quickly they can figure out words during reading.
Positive: Child has lovely manners and they are always well-behaved in class.
When you're speaking to parents, remember, they are not always up to date with the 'jargon' we sometimes use. It may be a long time since they have been in the education system in Ireland (if ever!) and they may not understand some of the terms that we use in schools at the moment. Just consider this - if you went to a doctor and they spoke in their lingo, with all their complicated phrases and terminology, we would be confused. So, just be careful not to overload the parents with loads of information - try have some concrete examples to show them, rather than lots of spoken information. Also, bear in mind, the parent may not have fantastic English, so may find it difficult to communicate with you. Often, having a visual to help explain things will help here. This one from the NCCA is quite good :)
One last thing to remember, is your classroom environment. I always like to make sure it's really clean and tidy, with lots of children's work on display - which is normal, but I make a special effort when I know that parents will be in the classroom and noticing everything! I always have a couple of comfortable chairs for the parents to sit on, some water maybe, a box of tissues (which you hopefully won't need!!!!) I always have a candle lighting and create a calm and welcoming environment.
Finally, it can be nice to give the parent something - so this could be a list of things to help at home. I've done this in the past and parents have thanked me later in the year. It's a list of suggestions to help with Literacy, Numeracy, social development, behaviour, etc and can be something parents refer to over the course of the year, and maybe further on in their child's education. Again, the NCCA have a nice one here, if you'd like to make one yourself or use this! This one is for First or Second class, but there's more for other classes elsewhere on the website.
After
And when all the craziness of the Parent-Teacher meetings are over, have a well-earned treat. We are all heading off to see one of our colleagues perform on stage next Thursday night and I'm really looking forward to it!!