Tips for how to have a better parent-teacher interview
Have you ever left a parent-teacher interview feeling frustrated , hopeless and with no clear action plan? I have developed a checklist for you to help ensure you have a more successful interview with your child's teacher. A successful interview includes the following:
Before the meeting
Schedule a mutually convenient time. A busy classroom at the end of the day is not the place to discuss important issues with the teacher. Make sure the time scheduled will be sufficient for the topics you wish to discuss. Schedule more time or another interview if you have multiple issues to discuss.
Share the reason for the interview when scheduling. Let the teacher know a rough idea of the issues that you are going to discuss so they can be better prepared for the meeting (brainstorm possible solutions or ideas, collect resources, and confer with their SERT or principal ahead of time).
Arrange appropriate child care. If at all possible, leave your child and his/her siblings at home.
Make sure you are in a productive/comfortable environment. Zoom calls with family going in and out or where you are worried about being overheard means you may not share what the teacher needs to know. Bring a support person (as you would when going to the doctor - good measuring stick). Make sure the person knows their role - scribe, accountability person, timer, emotional support, or prompter. Having a friend who is emotionally invested and has heard your side of the story will NOT set the right tone for the meeting. Often the friend is more upset about it than the parent and has not been privy to ALL of the conversations around the topic.
Have a child centered mindset. This is not about you as a parent or the teacher and their teaching styles. It is about what your child needs so that he/she can best learn in the school environment. That is the primary focus. You are partners in your child’s learning!
Bring relevant documentation. Bring the copy of your report card, IEP (Individual Education Plan) or psychoeducational report, OT (occupational therapist) report or anything else you feel is information the teacher needs in order to better understand your child’s needs. Even better, give the information to the teacher a few days before so that they have time to read it over and prepare questions of their own.
Have specific goals written down. Under each goal, list your questions and reasons why you think those should be goals. Include your child in developing the issues where appropriate. Keep in mind the time limit and reschedule a second meeting if needed. Use neutral language when describing an issue, especially if you feel it has the potential to be taken the wrong way. A good trick is to start discussions with sentences with the word “I” at the beginning. “I am concerned that, I feel that, I think that ...”
During the meeting
Keep emotions in check. Remember the primary focus is creating the best learning environment for your child and building a positive partnership with the teacher.
Outline your concerns and work collaboratively with the teacher to come up with a workable outcome. Keep in mind, the teacher is dealing with a minimum of 20 children with multiple needs on a fixed time schedule. Be reasonable.
Develop an action plan. Download it here. Record actions to be taken and who is going to be responsible for their execution. Decide on the timeline of the action plan. Set a date to reconvene and evaluate how things have progressed (or not).
After the meeting
Touch base within a reasonable or mutually agreeable time to see how the action plan is working. Confer with your child and the teacher. How are they feeling about things? Share meeting goals with your child if appropriate. If the issue continues to remain unresolved, request another interview with the teacher and perhaps bring an advocate with you. You can always contact the principal, outlining the steps that have been taken and request that he/she sits in on the next meeting if you feel that is necessary.
Remember you and your child’s teacher are partners in your child’s learning!
