Parent-Teacher meetings for Kindergarten students can get a child on the right track for academic success. Find out how to make the most of these important meetings.
After the first couple of months of Kindergarten have passed, most parents wonder how their child is really doing in school. Dinner table conversations have deviated from the interesting things being talked about in the classroom to who pushed who on the playground during recess. Busy daily schedules mean that parents do not usually have time to check-in with the child’s teacher everyday at pick-up time either. The parent-teacher conferences initiated by the school are usually the first chance for parents to find out how things are actually going and here are some tips to help make the most of this conversation.
Prepare for the Parent-Teacher Meeting
Think about questions to ask the teacher ahead of time. Most five to six year olds can answer direct questions about their day, but they may be vague about the details. This would be a good opportunity to hear more about the visit from a community helper or the classroom project about apples.
Talk to the child about anything he or she would like discussed with the teacher. Find out about likes, dislikes, and issues that challenge the child. If the conversation reveals something particularly important to the child, discuss it at the parent-teacher meeting.
Review any notes sent home by the teacher prior to the meeting to get a sense of issues that have arisen and also to be in the loop about upcoming events.
Go to the meeting with a positive attitude, regardless of issues that have arisen so far into the school year. Teachers are sometimes just as anxious about these meetings as parents are.
Focus on the Child
Do not bring small children because they will distract from the meeting. Sometimes the child who is in that class is invited to the meeting, but this policy varies from school to school.
Turn off cell phones and pagers during the meeting. Parent-teacher meetings are very short in duration and parents need to have their full attention on what is being said.
If possible, have both parents attend the meeting. Parents can bring different questions and insights to the meeting and this can only help to strengthen the child’s classroom experience.
Ask specific questions about the child’s progress, rather than speaking in generalities. For Kindergarten students, consider questions such as: Is the child participating during story time? How has the student been relating to others at recess? Is the child able to follow directions during individual activity time?
Ask if there is anything that parents can work on at home to help support what is being taught in the classroom.
Ask to see samples of the child’s work. For Kindergarten classes, most teachers will have the student’s work on display to demonstrate the activities children are participating in.
Ask to see some of the classroom resources. Many parents are unfamiliar with the ever developing Kindergarten curriculum and underestimate what is being taught in class. Briefly looking at key classroom resources will help parents understand what their kids are talking about at home.
Mention things that the child enjoys doing in class. Parents and teachers are sometimes vague about the positive things happening in class and dwell on the details of the challenges they are facing. Take the opportunity to tell the teacher what the child really likes about school to help foster a positive teacher-parent relationship.
Address Questions and Issues
Follow-up with any issues that were raised at the meeting. Parents need to talk to the student about things of note and they should regularly check-in with the teacher to be updated on the child’s progress.
Putting an emphasis on early education for children is the key to having a positive school experience in the primary grades. Taking an active role in supporting a child's academic achievements and challenges will go a long way to showing kids that education matters and the easiest way to do this is by building a relationship with the teacher.
The copyright of the article Kindergarten Parent Meetings in Early Childhood is owned by Angela Krueger. Permission to republish Kindergarten Parent Meetings in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
