Parent Teacher Conferences - Top 50 Tips

In my 21 years in education, I have had many, many parent conferences. The following is a list of tips that I have found to be successful. You want parent conferences to be stress free. Don't feel you have to implement all of these for 1 parent conference.

Before the Conference

1. Have student work samples so that parents can see their child's progress.
2. Have a one-pager with a list of important information that you want the parent to know (i.e. office hours, phone number, website address, class schedule, etc.). Parent like to have something to take with them.
3. Have mints or candy available.
4. Encourage the parent to bring the child.
5. Offer the student and incentive for attending the conference.
6. Set a schedule.
7. Send an invitation to the parents at least a month in advance.
8. Send email confirmation.
9. Send reminder email 1 week before the conference.
10. 1-2 days before the conference, call to let the parents know you are looking forward to meeting/seeing them on ____ day at ____ time.
11. If conferencing with more than one teacher, decide ahead of time how much time each teacher gets. Stay on schedule.
12. Have a list of the student's grades for the parents to take with them.
13. Hang a "Parent Conference in Session" Sign on the door. Respect the parents and students' privacy.
14. Let other teachers (other subjects/creative arts) know that you will be meeting with the students in case they want to attend.
15. Put your cell phone on vibrate/silent or turn it off.
16. Make sure your classroom is clean if you're meeting in your classroom.
17. Have a sign-in sheet ready. Include a place for at least the student's name, parent's name, and date.
18. Allow student to sign in.
19. Try to meet with a parent of every student at least once within the school year.
20. Let the administration know you are meeting with the parent in the event they want/need to attend.
21. Have your computer available in the event you need to look something up.
22. Pick the parents up from the main office.

During the Conference

1. Start on time.
2. End on time.
3. Pull the chair out for the parent so you can direct them where to sit.
4. Before beginning the actual conference, introduce yourself.
5. Shake the parent's hand.
6. Use eye contact.
7. Sit next to the parent, not across from them. It's less intimidating.
8. Sit between parent and student or put student across from parent (out of arms reach).
9. Start the conference with saying something positive about the student.
10. Ask the parent if they have any concerns before you begin.
11. Provide the parents with an overview of your expectations (if student generally misbehaves in class).
12. Have an agenda/talking points (even if its for you only). This allows you to be able to direct the conference and stay focused. You don't want to forget anything.
13. Ask the student questions during the conference. This allows them to feel contributing and connected to their conference.
14. Remind the student that this is "their" conference.
15. Tell the student that you and the parents care about them and their education, that is why you're meeting, not to get them in trouble.
16. Smile.
17. Limit conferences to no more than 20 minutes.
18. End the conference with an additional positive conference.
19. Ask the parent if they have any additional concerns. Parents just want to be heard.
20. Ask parents to confirm phone number and email address in the event you need to get in contact with them later.
21. Keep calm. If the parent is irate and/or yelling, keep your voice low and tell them you understand how they are feeling. 
22. Ask the parents if they need the administration to attend the meeting.

After the Conference

1. Before concluding the conference, thank the parent for attending the conference.
2. Thank the student for attending the conference.
3. Shake the parent's hand.
4. Send a thank you card or thank you email to the parent for attending the conference.
5. Walk parents to the main office (if you don't have another conference waiting).
6. If the conference was with other teachers, take time to debrief.

Sequence Chain

Teachers have been using Sequence Chains forever. They are versatile and work across subject areas. Graphic Organizers are very important for our English Language Learners and Special Education students, but could help any student that sits in your class.

In Math, I use them to show steps/procedures. I mainly use it for the Division Algorithm or to work out Order of Operation Problems. Whenever you want the students to show steps, Sequence Chains will apply.

Here is a free download for you to copy to your Google Drive. If you don't have Google Drive, you can go to my Teachers Pay Teachers store, Red Cloud, and download it for free.