CHEERS AND GOALS
Oh, no! It’s that time of year when you haveyour first parent conference. Hereare a few tips that might help you.
Cheers andGoals
Give children apiece of paper. Have them fold itin half and write “Cheers” on one side and “Goals” on the other side. On the “Cheers” side encourage them todraw pictures of three things they have learned that make them feel proud. (Older students could label these andyounger students could dictate descriptions.) On the “Goals” side children draw pictures of three thingsthey are working on. Again, theycan write sentences or dictate goals to the teacher. Having this and other samples of children’s work is a greatway to start a conference.
Another strategythat I used as a teacher was the “Parent Conference Questionnaire.” Ask parents to fill out a form similarto the one shown and bring it to the conference. If they show up empty handed, simply smile and give themanother one to fill out before you get started. This will guide the conference starting with the positivesand working through areas the child needs to work on.
*You can downloada copy of the Parent Conference Questionnaire on my July, 2011, Parent PowerPak.
