WASHINGTON 鈥� For most parents of schoolchildren, November is the month for parent-teacher conferences. They might be the best way for parents to get the word on how well their kids are doing in school, both academically and socially. And one educator has advice on how to get the most out of such meetings.
Ann Dolin, the president of Educational Connections Tutoring and a former public school teacher, told 海角精品黑料 the most important things to remember is that you only have about 20 minutes, so it pays to be prepared, with your questions and concerns in writing. And be prepared to take notes, so you can remember what鈥檚 discussed later.
Dolin added that parents can help 鈥渄rive a better meeting鈥� by basing their comments on observations. For example, instead of saying, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e giving out too much homework,鈥� it can be more effective to ask, 鈥淚鈥檝e noticed that Bill has about an hour of math homework every night 鈥� should fourth-graders have this much homework?鈥� Dolin said.
鈥淪ometimes, teachers aren鈥檛 aware of what goes on at home, especially when it comes to homework.鈥�
It鈥檚 also critical for parents to understand the root of any problems children might be having in school. Sometimes, Dolin said, it鈥檚 a problem specific to the subject material; sometimes, though, it鈥檚 about 鈥渆xecutive functioning skills鈥� 鈥� organization, time management and planning.
Once you’ve worked out which is the more pressing need to address, 鈥淵ou can then have a better, more informed conversation with the teacher.鈥�
Dolin also advised parents of older kids to find out whether their school has a homework club or another way to meet with the teacher after school. Helping out with homework can be a pleasant task for parents of kids in the earlier grades; in high school, the subject matter gets more difficult, and the workload can take a toll on the relationship between parent and child.
It鈥檚 easy to go into a meeting feeling defensive or ready to accuse a teacher, Dolin said, but it鈥檚 important to remember that the teacher has 鈥渟een hundreds of kids over many years鈥� and has a base to compare your kid to.
鈥淚 always revere the teacher and let her tell me what grade-level expectations are.鈥�
The key is how your child is doing compared with other kids in the same grade, and the teacher has that kind of perspective.
鈥淥nce you have that information,鈥� Dolin said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 a little bit easier to find out how your child鈥檚 doing in the classroom, and what you can do to support your child going forward.鈥�
