What Should I Ask at Parent-Teacher Conferences?

With three parent-teacher conferences per year, it’s important to make the most of this valuable time with your teachers. Being prepared and having an informative meeting can help provide you with a clear insight on your child’s social emotional well-being, social skills, work ethic, and academic performance.

Here are some helpful questions you might consider asking to help maximize time spent with the teachers.

Social Emotional Questions:

How is my child doing emotionally?

It’s important to know how your child is feeling at school. Is your child generally happy? Are there times or certain situations that make your child feel frustrated or stressed?

How is my child doing socially?

Parents want to know who their child is playing with and how they get along with others. Is your child a good friend and/or classmate? It’s also important information to know the type of role your child plays in social settings. Is your child typically a leader or a follower? Does your child ask for help when needed?

Does my child show empathy and respect?

We all want our children to be kinds, thoughtful, and caring individuals. Your teachers spends hours a day seeing your child interact as a classmate, student, and friend. School is much more than just academics.

How does my child contribute to the class community?

An important part of school is to learn how to coexists in large groups and small groups. How does your child communicate? Does your child participate in discussions? Is your child a leader?

Academic Questions:

Is my child’s academic performance on track?

This is probably one of the most common questions asked at a parent-teacher conference. Remember to ask the teacher to explain any assessment tools used to gather this data.

Does my child need to assistance in any areas? If so, how can I help at home?

This question shows that it’s a team effort and that you, as a parent, are willing to help out. Asking this question gives the teacher a chance to provide activities that are tailored to your child’s needs.

What are my child’s strengths?

Just as it is important to know what your child needs to work on, it is also imperative to learn about your child’s strengths.

Does my child try hard?

Understanding your child’s attitude towards work is extremely important. Does your child put in the effort when the work is hard or does your child give up? Does your child take the time to do the work or does your child rush through it? Effort matters.

In addition to these suggestions, be sure to ask, “What can I do at home to reinforce what you’re doing in school?” This helps improve the collaboration between parents and teachers. With parent-teacher conferences coming up, feel free to ask these questions to gather more information on how your child is doing at school.