Low-Stress Parent-Teacher Conferences

As a teacher, parent-teacher conferences are one of the things that give me the most anxiety. Not only do they require a great deal of pressure, but some interactions with parents can also feel stressful if you know you have to deliver bad news. Feeling prepared for parent-teacher conferences always makes me feel relieved, so below I’m listing some tips for your conference prep!

Create a Parent-Teacher Conference Checklist

I love a checklist, especially when it’s a busy time of year like conferences. I always think of things I need to do and inconvenient times and then forget them later. Another problem that I create for myself is having something go smoothly and thinking, ‘I need to remember to do this next year!’ and then not writing it down anywhere. So a checklist is born! 

In the weeks leading up to parent-teacher conferences, I create a running checklist and brain-dump all the things that I need to do. It helps me to give myself a few weeks to think of items to add to the list. When conferences are over, I’ll go back to the checklist and add anything that will make my life easier next time. When the next parent-teacher conferences come around, I’ll refer to my previous checklist.

If you’re looking for a general checklist to get you started, I created one for myself. Click the image above to check it out!

Pre-plan Student Notes Before Conferences

If I have any difficult news to share or parent-teacher conferences that I’m worried about, I will always try to pre-plan my notes for that conference. Try to prepare at least one positive statement about each student that you can share during the parent-teacher conference. It helps to start out the conference on a positive note. 

If you have concerns, it may be helpful to use the terms ‘glows and grows.’ This allows you to highlight the ‘glows’ (positive statements) and refer to the ‘grows’ (concerns) as ways to improve. It positions your concerns in a more positive manner. 

For example, if a student struggles with blurting, a teacher could say something like the following:

“While —– is very strong academically, I’ve noticed that he/she/they struggle with blurting. For example…”

Provide concrete examples, student work (if applicable), and potential solutions.

At one of my previous schools, it was required that we provide conference notes to parents. While it seemed like a hassle, I actually really enjoyed it. I could reference back to them in my student’s file if I needed to and I could also send home a copy for the parents to keep.

What I found worked best for me was to pre-write anything I knew I wanted to say during the parent-teacher conference. This also prevented me from forgetting important things. During the conference, I could add anything else that we discussed to the notes. 

Send Reminders for Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parents and teachers are two very busy groups of people. Life gets in the way and things get forgotten. It doesn’t hurt to send a reminder email or note to parents and guardians before your conference. 

Share Student Work Samples

It is always helpful to show parents work samples, both positive and negative. For spring conferences, I love showing parents work samples from the beginning of the year alongside current work samples. This shows them how far their child has come! 

Additionally, in an effort to encourage self-reflection, I ask students to complete a self-assessment. If you set goals with your students, the weeks before conferences is a great time for them to evaluate their progress. This is another great tool to show during parent-teacher conferences. 

During the parent-teacher conference, don’t forget to be brief, stick to the facts, and listen. Remember that the parent-teacher relationship is a partnership, seeking the best for the child. 

Want the done-for-you forms included in this blog post? Click any of the images above or the button below!

Looking for more ways to streamline and simplify your classroom? Check out the blog posts below!

• How to create a substitute teacher binder
• Classroom organization ideas
• Easy classroom management tricks