We believe a strong family-school relationship is vital for a great school experience for children. At Home For Your Heart, we want to keep you informed with your child’s academic, social, and emotional development throughout the school year. We do this by having a parent-teacher conference in the fall for Preschool and Pre-K and by-request anytime across all the grade levels. Many parents can become anxious about meeting with their child’s teacher, but let us assure you there is nothing to be fearful about. To help ease your worries, we have listed below some things you can expect from your child’s conference.
Timing of the Conference
Each conference is roughly 15-20 minutes long. The teacher will take this time to talk with you about your child. Every classroom has conferences back-to-back, therefore it is important to be punctual with your set time. With that being said, it is also important to be understanding if the teacher needs a few extra minutes with a family.
Information from the Teacher
During your conference, you can expect to hear how your child is doing in the classroom. You will learn about his or her strengths and weaknesses. Your teacher will show you your child’s report card and share the areas he or she is doing well and talk with you if there are any areas of concern. The teacher will discuss his or her engagement, attentiveness, and involvement in the classroom. She will also inform you of how your child plays and interacts with other students. Lastly, you can expect to hear what you can do at home to help your child succeed this year.
Your Part in the Conference
Your part in the conference is just as important as our part! First, be open minded. The teacher most likely is going to tell you things you already know about your child, but at times she will tell you something you didn’t know or something you had never really thought of before. Second, take notes. Be sure to take notes on what the teacher is telling you. Write down the ways you can support your child at home. Keep those notes to look back on later or to follow up with the teacher further into the school year. Lastly, bring a short list of questions. Many of your questions will be answered throughout the conference, but if some questions are still lingering at the closing of conference, ask your teacher. She is happy to answer all your questions and concerns.
Above all, know we both want the same thing for your child. We want your child to progress through the school year learning the skills he or she needs for the years to come. Our goal for your child at the end of his or her time at Home For Your Heart is to be completely ready to enter the world of “big” school. Parent-Teacher Conferences are a portion of the process of reaching our end goal and together we can make it happen.