10 questions to ask your child’s teacher

If your experience of parent teacher interviews is akin to a stressful speed date you could be missing out on important information about your child. Here’s how to find out everything you really need to know.

A parent teacher interview can be daunting — and knowing what to ask in a short, stressful speed-date scenario can leave parents fraught. Here are the 10 questions to ask — and why they’re important.

1. Is my child happy at school?

This is at the core of a calm, contented student. If they are happy, they will learn, participate and improve. They will thrive — and there’s not much more important than that.

“Our parents ask beautiful questions, and ‘does my child seem happy at school?’ is an important one,” said Sydney’s St Thomas Primary School principal Jenny McKewon.

“What’s their favourite thing? Are they doing well at that? What is causing them some concerns — are there things we can do at home? “And our parents ask those things, and they tell a lot about a child and their experiences in the classroom.”

Principal Jenny McKeown says it’s important to know if your child is happy in class. Picture: Supplied

2. What is my child’s spelling and reading age?

A majority of teachers are required to collect data related to students spelling and reading ages, with tests often completed a few times throughout the year to track progress. Ask your child’s teacher for this information and ask specifically about their progress in all learning areas, said Beth Taylor, of Western Australia’s Gwynne Park Primary School.

3. Ask if you can see an example of a ‘C’, ‘B’ or ‘A’ sample of work.

If you’re concerned about how your child is tracking, then request to see what a ‘C’ example looks like.

“Teachers can provide anonymous student examples,” Ms Taylor said.

“Alternatively if you would like your child to aim a little higher but are unsure of what a ‘B’ or ‘A’ looks like then ask to see examples of work with these grades.”

4. How does he or she interact with their peers in and outside the classroom?

Does my child help when others are in need of help? Do they hold the door open for their peers? These questions are important. Don’t just ask questions related to learning.

If you know how you child’s teacher rewards the class you can reinforce the system from home. File picture

5. What positive reward system do you have in place in the classroom?

All teachers and schools have positive reward systems. Ask about the system your child’s teacher has set up. This can help you encourage a pupil at home, and help them feel supported when they achieve one of their goals.

6. How are you giving feedback to my child? What goals have you set with my child to help improve their learning?

Effective teachers provide detailed and clear feedback to students to ensure they can improve.

“Ask about how feedback is being provided — do they use success criteria, learning outcome charts, bump it up goals?” Ms Taylor said.

“It’s also important to discuss what learning goals have been set, and make sure they are specific goals — for example, a reading goal like ‘Max is working on recalling facts and details when reading’, instead of ‘Max is working on improving his reading’.”

Know what your children our studying, if they are coping and how you can support them. File picture

7. What topics are being covered this term?

This will not only give you a chance to think of some topics of discussion at dinnertime, it will also supplement certain areas in the home. If environment is on the agenda, ask your child to tell you about the way you care for the environment at home — start a veggie patch or compost heap as a way to help the cause.

8. Does my child have a positive attitude towards schooling?

Do they participate in all subjects? Do they engage in their own learning? Are they excited about learning?

Teacher Beth Taylor, of Gwynne Park Primary School in WA. Picture: Supplied

9. Does my child require an Individual Education Plan?

If your child is not meeting the expected standard for their year level, then the teacher may need to create an Individual Education Plan.

“An IEP is a modified plan that outlines learning goals your child can achieve,” Ms Taylor said.

“If your child is talented and gifted then they should also be considered for an IEP, to ensure they are being extended and challenged in their learning.”

10. Instead of homework worksheets, what are some conversations or simple activities I could do in the car, while I’m cooking dinner, to help improve my child’s learning?

There is more to learning than worksheets and filling in home readers. While these are important, children learn by having conversations, being hands on and exploring the world around them. Find out about some oral language activities or hands on games you could play with your child instead of your child struggling through a worksheet. It will also give them a break from completing ‘standard’ homework.

Originally published as 10 questions to ask your child’s teacher