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Parent Teacher Meetings and How to Get the Most Out Of It

By:

7-6-15

Many of us look at Parent Teacher Meetings (PTM) as a window into our child’s academic life. There is your chance to understand your child’s strong areas and developmental areas, from the teachers. But if you want, with a little bit of planning, it could be much more rewarding for you and your child.

We put together a checklist for you that will make PTMs more fruitful for you and your child.

  • Keep the appointment for the PTM. This is a great time for you to share your child’s problem areas and the environment at home with the teacher.
  • Have an agenda ready. If there are any specific questions you would like to ask the teachers, make sure you jot them down so you don’t forget.
  • Intimate the teacher in advance by an email or a call about you wanting to discuss your agenda so the teacher knows how much time to allocate to you.
  • Be open to meeting the teacher at a later time if she can’t give you more time on the day of the PTM
  • Be courteous, polite and positive. Teachers are largely an overworked lot. Also most of them are really dedicated. So when you meet them even with a pressing issue, use positive and kind words. Thanks them for everything that they do.
  • Jot down your observations and the teacher’s inputs for ready reference.
  • When you just can’t get through to a particular teacher, simply accept the differences. You need to work around those differences and still be able to help your child. The onus is really on you. So try to understand the teacher and find the best way to get through to her.
  • Choose your words carefully and make the most of the meeting. Avoid digressing from the issue at hand. And definitely don’t generalize or compare your child to others. Even teachers will get put off if you appear excessively competitive and cut throat.
  • Be their partner. Children whose parents work in conjunction with teachers tend to perform better academically.

Finally, listen actively to the teacher’s suggestion and be open to them. After all, they spend a bulk of the time with your child and do know about him/her more than you might think!