How do you deal with a difficult parent-teacher conference?

7 Tips for Teachers on Dealing with Difficult Parents

1. No Surprises.
2. Meet Face-to-Face with Parents.
3. Alert Your Principal or Department Chair to the Situation.
4. Listen and Ask Questions.
5. Try to Find Things You Agree On.
6. Don’t Allow Yourself to Be Pressured.
7. Know When the Conversation Is Over.

Are parent-teacher conferences bad?

Don’t get me wrong, Parent-Teacher Conferences aren’t bad. They just aren’t as necessary as they were in elementary or middle school. There’s nothing wrong with still wanting to be involved with your child and know how their doing in school, just make an appointment.

Are parent-teacher conferences effective?

Conducting effective parent-teacher conferences can boost family involvement in your classroom and help promote positive outcomes for you, your students, and your school. A parent-teacher conference is a great opportunity to: discuss enrichment or intervention strategies to support students’ learning.

Why do some parents fear parent-teacher conferences?

Some parents fear that they will make a poor impression on the teacher because they have less formal education than the teacher (i.e., advanced degrees, etc.).

How can parents survive parent teacher conferences?

Avoid angry or apologetic reactions. Instead, ask for examples. Ask what is being done about the problem and what strategies seem to help at school. Develop an action plan that may include steps that parents can take at home and steps the teacher will take at school.

What is the point of parent teacher conferences?

Parent Teacher Conference. A parent teacher conference helps to communicate to parents the areas their child are excelling in and to give them specific ideas of how to improve upon their child’s performance in school.

What should teachers tell parents at conferences?

When planning what to say at parent teacher conferences, prepare a way to end on a positive note. You could tell why you love having the child in your class, highlight an overall strength, or a special connection you have with the child.

Why are parent-teacher conferences such a headache?

Parent-teacher conferences don’t have to be such a headache. Educators weigh in on how to solve common problems. For many teachers, parent conferences are often accompanied by a sense of dread. There are the parents who push back on any critique, the ones who don’t understand how to help, and the ones who never show.

Do parents share what they learn at conferences with students?

Solution: There’s no a guarantee that parents are actually sharing what they learn at a conference with their child. To help students take ownership of their learning and keep lines of communication open between school and home, Wildwood IB World Magnet School, a K–8 public school in Chicago, has student-led conferences twice a year.

What are the most challenging times to schedule Parent Teacher Conferences?

In many cases, both parents work and it’s challenging to schedule times that work for them, as most conferences are held in the afternoon, says Charles Saylors, former president of the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA), as reported by NPR.

What happens when parents are not native English speakers at conferences?

When parents are not native English speakers, there’s a greater chance that feedback given during a conference may be misinterpreted or misunderstood. The video tool Spotlight, which translates report cards from English into other languages, helped Oakland Unified School District in California break down this barrier.