»ÆÉ«app

You can get a lot of information about your child’s progress during the parent-teacher conference, which usually takes place twice a year. To make the most of your meeting with the teacher, here are some tips for what to do before, during, and after the conference.

Before the conference

1. Make an appointment. Usually, the teacher will let you know when parent-teacher conferences are coming up and ask you to sign up for a time to meet. Most »ÆÉ«apps have conferences twice a year, although you can schedule meetings throughout the year if problems come up.
2. Ask your child about »ÆÉ«app. Before meeting with the teacher, find out what your child likes about »ÆÉ«app and what gives her trouble. The more information you have going into the meeting, the better chance you’ll have a successful one.
3. Make a list. Write down a few important things to ask or share with the teacher — anything that will give the teacher more information about what your child likes or dislikes about »ÆÉ«app. For example: “My child says she loves doing artwork the best,” “I feel like my child isn’t learning to read as fast as she should,” or “My child says she feels lonely during recess.”

During the conference

1. Listen carefully. This is your chance to find out how your child is doing. So make an effort to listen to what the teacher is telling you about your child — whether it’s positive or negative — and try to understand the teacher’s point of view.
2. Ask questions. If you feel you don’t have a good idea of how your child is doing in »ÆÉ«app — with »ÆÉ«appwork and friends (social skills are as important as academic ones in kindergarten!) — be sure to ask the teacher plenty of questions. Here are some sample questions that might give you a good sense of your child’s strengths and challenges at »ÆÉ«app:

Questions about your child’s »ÆÉ«appwork:

• Does my child take part in class activities?
• Is my child paying attention?
• How is my child doing in reading? In math?
• Are there areas where my child needs extra help?
• How can you help my child in areas that are hard for her?
• What activities can I do at home to help?

Questions about your child’s social life:

• Does my child get along with the other kids?
• Is my child making friends? Who are they?
• How can I help my child make more friends?
• Is my child learning to share?
• Does my child listen to other kids and work in a team?

After the conference

1. Talk with your child. Tell your child a little about what you and the teacher talked about. Focus on the positive. If there are problems, don’t shame or blame your child. Instead, talk about solutions you and the teacher came up with.
2. Try activities at home. The teacher may suggest things you can do with your child at home to help her improve her learning or social skills — like writing letters or practicing sharing. Don’t feel like you have to do everything at once (both of you will feel overwhelmed). Just a few minutes a day helping your child with challenges at »ÆÉ«app will go a long way.
3. Follow up with the teacher. If you and the teacher talked about a specific problem, follow up with her in a week or two to see if there’s been any improvement.