Parent Teacher Meeting Tips for Teachers: Keys Points and Core Issues
Child is life line of a parent. Child is centre point in a parent’s life. Time changes, situation changes, culture changes, life style changes but parent remains a parent for his/her child, pure, pious, and dutiful. Nobody can think better than a parent for the future of a child.
A parent invests so much money for his child’s better education. He wishes for a holistic development of his child. A parent deserves a precise, concrete and rational feedback from his child educator. Teacher should show a great respect for parent in the Parent Teacher Meeting. This is the best platform for developing a strong relationship with parent for the welfare of child’s education.
Parent is a partner. Active participation of a parent brings massive change in kid’s academic performance. His nature of nurturing brings natural and holistic changes in kid’s personality. It is necessary to share responsibility and accountability for the holistic development of a child. Parent is directly responsible for child progress at home and school. In fact, it is necessary to develop a strong bridge between parent and educator. Wise parents never leave space for developing negative outcomes. Each and every moment and movement of child determines her/his future.
Teacher talks with parent politely. Teacher uses appropriate words for the student. We can organize a successful Parent Teacher Meeting if we follow certain norms to show regards for the parent.
- Wish every parent and offer a seat
Wise teacher takes initiation to develop a rapport with the parent. S/he wishes good morning/afternoon with a welcoming smile on the face. This positive initiative develops a healthy relationship with parent and class teacher/teacher. Teacher offers a seat for sitting comfortably.
- Please keep Attendance Register with you
Student’s regular presence in the classroom makes a big difference in the process of learning. Teacher shares student presence and absence in the class to the respective parent. It also ensures safety of a child if s/he comes to school by own vehicle/conveyance.
- Please keep Student’s Monitoring profile with you
Teacher prepares anecdotal report of each and every student of the respective class. S/He writes all minute observation in the anecdotal records. When a teacher shares his/her details observation with parent; parent feels a sense of security that his child is in the safe hand. School does proper monitoring of his child. Teacher uses appropriate words and sentences to express the negative and positive aspects of a child. Teacher shows utmost care to do this.
- Please keep class teacher checklists with you
Teacher uses different checklist to do proper monitoring of a child i.e. health and hygiene, notebook submission checklist, class test records, special achievement, behavioral records to share with parent. Proper observation gives right picture of progress of a child.
- Talk to parent based on data and actual observation
Wise teacher shares actual data based on actual observation of a child. When we talk on actual data, it gives a sense of relief for parents. Teacher shares physical as well as mental development of child with parent.
6. Please collect students’ information for the holistic development of a child. Teacher collects information so that s/he can work out in the classroom and on the school premises. S/he shares parent’s feedback with other teacher. A wise teacher finds out several information i.e.
- Kid’s nature at home I.e. aggressive, dull, responsive, caring
- Kid’s behaviour at home i.e. towards study and family members
- Kid’s etiquette at home
- Kid’s attitude/mind set at home
- Kid’s social surrounding/social engagement
- Kid’s nature of learning/study habit
- Kid’s academic interest
- Kid’s learning capacity & capability
- Kid’s weakness and strength
- Talk politely with parent. Teacher is known for polite behavior. We should show courteous behavior with parent. It may be possible that s/he is not happy with you, other teachers and some sys,tematic problems, but our attitude should be positive. Teacher should be decent and courteous during meeting with parent.
- If you say that a child is weak then identify the actual area i.e. does not speak in the class, weak in handwriting, weak in reading a text. When we identify real problem, we find out solution for the identified problems for the welfare of child.
Child is in centre. His/her holistic development is our prime concern. Rest factors may be minor or of no use. Coordinate with parent with open hand, open heart and open mind to empower child.
- Talk about general behaviour of students however, first focus on few good things about student i.e. earlier he was not used to sit properly but now he seats in the class properly, earlier he has problems in following instructions but now he started following instruction, now s/he tries to speak in English, speaks one word/phrase/one sentence, now s/he tries to write neat and clean, S/he is improving slowly etc.
- Share even negative things very politely with parent and convince him that there is improvement. Wise educators do it precisely i.e. sometimes his/her uniform/dress is dirty; please send him/her in neat and clean dress, his nail is big and dirty, please cut his/her nails at least once in a week etc
- Write parent’s suggestions and queries
It is wonderful habit to pen down suggestions and complains of a parent on a diary/a piece of a paper. It satisfies parent’s ego. It is very convincing activity. Parent thinks that his suggestions and complain have been noticed by the teacher and the teacher will share my problems with his higher authority, because it may not be possible for a parent to meet principal every time due to several unavoidable reasons. If a teacher only hears the problem shared by parent, it gives a negative impact that teacher may forget and his voice may be unnoticed from higher authority of school. Please do write the suggestions and problems of parent and takes these feedback to your higher authority in the school/institution.
- Talk about health issues with parent
Encourage parent to discuss mental and physical problems of a child so that school can help child at the time of need. Health issue problems can be handled properly if a child falls sick in the school.
- Please collect students information i.e. working mobile number of parent, student’s interest, student’s skill, and student’s overall behavior
- Ask and help parent to fill the feedback from
- No argument at all with parent.
We are educator. We are professionals. We are skilled teachers. We must avoid clash with parent. We are listener. We must hear him. His problems and complains may be appear illogical, harsh and irrational at first instance but it may also be beneficial for so many students. When a parent sends his/her son/daughter to our school, s/he is sending `a life to us. Our prime concern is to provide a homely environment and a joyful learning experience to each and every one enrolled in our class/school. To err is human therefore it may be possible that consciously and unconsciously, we may commit mistakes, however a mild reminder from parent makes us alive, awake and alert teacher.
Rajeev Ranjan
Indian Educationist
Very nice sir. Thank you so much for sharing.