Parent-Teacher Conferences! The most stressful yet rewarding time of the year, and sometimes…we do them twice! Parent-Teacher Conferences are a great time to connect with your families and talk about all the amazing things happening in your classroom, and talk about your wonderful students. What parent doesn’t love talking about their child?! Yet, they can be stressful and a two or more cup of coffee kind of day. Let me share my favorite parent-teacher conference organizational tools with you!
These Parent-Teacher Conference Organizational Tools will help you prepare for conferences stress-free and add some simplicity to the process at any grade level!
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Parent-Teacher Conference Organizational Tools:
TOOL #1: Parent Teacher Conference Forms! These forms help me stay organized by keeping all my student information IN ONE PLACE. I was always flipping pages in a notebook, or going through piles of paper to find what I needed to share. Now, I can keep bullet points of notes for each child on ONE page for each subject area!
In each box, I will write the student’s name and then write bullet points that I want to share with the parents. When it is time for their meeting, I only have to look at their box to relay any important information! If we hold conferences in the fall and spring, I like to keep these forms for both, so I can refer back and talk about where their child began and how much growth has been made! POSTIVE, POSITIVE, POSITIVE! Writing long paragraphs can be hard to summarize during a conference. Having quick notes can make it easier to read and make for a smooth conference!
Another great thing about these documentation forms is, you could even keep them on a clip board all year long! When you see something to make note of, you can jot it down quickly while it is on your mind. They are perfect for documentation notes for reference!
TOOL #2: Parental Questions/Concern forms which is also included in the Parent Teacher Conference Forms resource. In a conference, we all know that sometimes a question or concern arises that you may not always be able to answer “on the spot.” This is where this form comes in!
I have done the whole, “That is a great question/concern, let me write that down and get back to you”, as I quickly write it on a post-it note or scratch it into my notebook and then it gets lost into the abyss. Know what I am talking about?! It is okay to not have ALL THE ANSWERS during the conference! It is much more meaningful to the parent’s if you take time to answer their question or address their concern, at a later time when you HAVE THE TIME. Let them know you will give them a call when you can or reach them through your classroom communication system.
Either way…write it down! I leave this form blank and then write the student’s name, parent(s) name(s) and question or concern as they come.
Organizational Tools Continued…
TOOL #3: SCHEDULE ORGANIZATION! I didn’t want to give you tools on HOW to schedule the conferences because I know this is a school-by-school system. Instead, I wanted to share what to do once you have all your conference times booked. If you have conferences that go for a whole week, and are spread out for each night. I love using these weekly planning pages to track the times and families for each night.
Maybe you only have one long night of conferences? I like using these upcoming events pages to type out a schedule for times and families. They are also editable, so I can type my schedule with my favorite font right in!
TIP: I usually post a schedule outside my door, incase parents forgot their time and to avoid any confusion. It is usually accompanied by a sign in sheet, hand-outs of things to do at home and a bowl of candy or mints! Keeps them happy while they wait!
Are you doing virtual conferences?! No worry! Use your Google Calendar to create your conference schedule. If you are using Google Meets to hold your virtual conferences, sending your parents a link to the meeting should automatically add it to your calendar. This makes it very convenient for you to keep track of your schedule! Have your calendar pulled up and click on the link for your scheduled time! Hassle free!
TOOL #4: STUDENT WORK ORGANIZATION! I typically like to keep a “portfolio” that I give my families at the end of the year that contains work, and projects from each month from September to June! However, I also like to provide student work samples for the parents so they have something to take away from conferences.
I will place the samples into cute file folders that I have found at Target or TJMAXX, or I will take a large piece of construction paper, fold it in half and have the students decorate the front. Having student work samples is also great when extra time presents itself, and the parents love seeing their work! Some work sample ideas: family portraits, self portraits, crafts from the month, writing pieces, drawings, letter to the parents, etc.
Virtual for conferences?! Send the work home explaining to parents you will look at it during their conference time!
Parent Teacher Conference Organizational Tool #5: DOOR SIGN AND/OR DOOR BELL: I typically like to place a sign on the door that says, “Please wait outside the classroom until your scheduled time. If your time has approached, please kindly knock on the door to keep us on track or ring the door bell! Thank you for your help!”
I have an amazon door bell that I use in my classroom. Sometimes I like to keep the door bell button hanging next to the sign, or I just stick with a classic knock. It is very helpful when a conference is running over because you lost track of time OR the conversation is becoming harder and harder to end.
That is totally fine and normal, we do have a schedule to stick with!
TIP: Did I mention…I usually have a bowl of candy or mints for the families to enjoy while they wait! They love it!
TIP: Have toys for the children who are waiting outside for their parents! This can include Legos, coloring pages, cars, books, etc.! You want to be able to talk to the parents in privacy and this will help keep them occupied.
I hope these Parent Teacher Conference Organizational Tools help you, as much as they have helped me!
Virtual/Remote Conference Tips:
- Have a nice background…not a green screen or background that comes with google meets or Zoom. You can disappear on accident.
- Create a presentation using Google Slides or Powerpoint! This can help you stay on track and it gives the parents something to look at while you are chatting! Sometimes looks at themselves or you the whole time can be hard.
- Provide handouts prior to the conference, so you have something to reference and again…they have something to look at! (same reason as above)
- Good lighting!
- Bright clothes!
- If the child is present, ask the parent to have the child play in another room with an older sibling. They could also watch something with headphones if they don’t want to leave them unattended in another room.
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