Innovative Tips for Successful Parent-Teacher Conferences

Ready- Set -Teach!--featured on Education World's website, October 29, 2015.


Education World is pleased to present these professional development tips shared by author and educator Jim Gomes.

Part 1: Have a Student Secretary for Parent-Teacher Conferences*

Select a volunteer from one of your classes to act as your secretary during parent-teacher conferences. Thank the student for volunteering. Familiarize the student with both the benefits and the secretary’s role as outlined below.

Benefits:
The student secretary accumulates valuable volunteer hours. The student also gains experience dealing with adults. This illustrates to parents that teachers see their students as valuable by empowering them and by providing growth opportunities. It sets a professional tone for the meeting. It helps the parent-teacher conference process run much more smoothly. It saves the teacher time.

The Secretary’s Role:
Greet parents in a friendly manner. Set up appointment times if not prearranged. Distribute a welcome sheet (see Tip 87). Take down contact information of parents who arrived but were unable to stay. Keep the teacher on schedule.

There may be no better time to make a good impression on parents than on this night. Having a student secretary can help you make the most of it.

- See more at: Education World