How to survive the parent-teacher interview
The parent-teacher interview is a rude awakening for the uninitiated parent. Here’s how parents can not only survive the process but make it a useful exercise for all.
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The parent-teacher interview is a rude awakening for the uninitiated parent.
If you are a first time attendee you will most likely take a helicopter-like approach to your child’s early weeks at school and will be looking for immediate feedback to ensure they have made a successful start to their 13 years of schooling.
If you are a battle weary parent you may be either concerned or satisfied with how your child is travelling. You aren’t getting too many notifications of late work or absenteeism, they appear to be managing their workload, aren’t partying too hard and seem to have a good balance. While the senior years are stressful for even the brightest, they (and you) seem to be surviving.
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In primary school the parent teacher interview will usually be with just one teacher but in secondary school you will have up to seven teachers. Some may not appear to know your child very well. Others may know your child better than you do.
Gonski Institute for Education director Adrian Piccoli suggests parents chat with their children before the parent-teacher interview to get a feel for their concerns.
In his new book, 12 Ways Your Child Can Get the Best Out of School, he says writing a list of questions is a good starting point and will provide prompts.
“It’s a three-way conversation, so make sure you take notes during the interview,” he said.
For those already at school, he says, parents should not get too caught up in As, Bs, Cs, Ds or sliding scales and other descriptions to track progress. Rather, they should look to where their child was last year and where they are a year later.
He suggests that parents also find out where their child is compared with other students in the class and where they sit with expected national standards.
“Parents want to know things and rightly so. Being at the top of the class isn’t relevant if the standard of the class is low compared to the national average,” he said.
Here’s the key to making it a useful exercise for all:
■ 1. When bookings open get in quickly and grab the times that work best for you. Slots after work fill up early so if you have flexibility choose a time early in the day to beat the rush. The teacher will be fresh, too. Also bear in mind when you hit high school the teachers might be scattered across various buildings so leave time in between interviews.
■ 2. Most schools, even private schools, will only allocate as little as 5 minutes per student. Keep this in the back of your mind.
■ 3. If you have received a school report, outlining your child’s progress, have a good look at it to ensure you are across any academic or other issues.
■ 4. Do you need to book every teacher and talk about every subject for your senior student? This will depend on the teacher’s availability and your child’s progress. Most definitely do the key subjects Maths, English and Science and the ones they are struggling with. Electives and compulsory subjects your child is doing for a semester may be less pressing.
■ 5. Arrive on time. Parent teacher interviews run like taking a number in a deli line at Coles. Once you hit high school you will usually find teachers lined up at desks in alphabetical order. You need to find them and prop yourself within sight.
■ 6. If you are new to the school make sure you leave time to find a carpark.
■ 7. If the parent teacher interview calls for your student to be there bring them along. If not, leave them at home.
■ 8. Beware of etiquette. Just because your schedule says you have the 1.45pm slot with Mrs Morgan to talk about Kate’s biology doesn’t mean you barrel up and demand to be seen at 1.45pm. The interviews might be running late and someone might be before you. Suppress your displeasure because it might not ingratiate you with the teacher or parents you may have to deal with in coming years.
■ 9. For your preppie play a long game. Get a sense if they are settling in, making friends, following directions, developing a routine and generally happy and compliant.
■ 10. For preppies don’t get caught up in the school pick up chat during which Harry’s mum crows that he is on reading level 10 while your own child is on reading level 1.
■ 11. Ask what you can do at home to help your child progress. Depending on the year level, it might be ensuring they are doing their reading each night. For older students ensuring they are striking a good balance between study and play.
■ 12. If your teacher raises issues ask them what they will do to assist. For instance, making sure your child sits at the front of the class or does not sit with children who are likely to distract each other.
■ 13. Be conscious that this is small window to touch base about your child. If there are bigger issues make another time.
■ 14. Don’t be combative. This is a team effort.
■ 15. If issues come up make a time to catch up further down the track to assess progress.
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