Parent Teacher Conferences - Virtual Edition

By now, I have been teaching VIRTUALLY for a year and it has thrown a monkey wrench in all that I thought teaching was. I decided to re-vamp my Parent Teacher Conference - Top 50 Tips to accommodate the virtual world.

Again, don't feel you have to implement all of these for one parent conference.

Before the Conference

1. Have student work samples so that parents can see their child's progress. Be prepared to share your screen.
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. Email that information to the parents at the conclusion of the meeting.
3. Have mints or candy available.
4. Encourage the parent to bring the child have the child present.
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. Be prepared to share a list of the student's grades with the parents, then send them an email with those grades at the conclusion of the email.
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 background is clean or use a green screen and clutter free background.
17. Have a sign-in sheet ready. Include a place for at least the student's name, parent's name, and date. Instead of everyone writing, a notetaker may be needed to capture the attendance.
18. Allow student to sign in, optional.
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.
23. Touch base with any teachers that are unable to attend the conference to see if they have anything to they want you to share on their behalf.
24. Be sure the chat is open to everyone in the event the parent want to send messages to teachers.
25. Assign a co-host as someone to monitor the chat and as someone that can monitor muting if necessary.
26. Set up the Zoom/Google Meet Link. Be sure to record the conference.

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.
23. Keep your camera on.
24. Do not eat during the conference. A bottle of water is ok.
25. Remind everyone to remain muted if they are not speaking.
26. Ask parents is it ok that the conference is being recorded.

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 included other teachers, take time to debrief.
7. Send notes from conference to teachers that were unable to attend.