With summer upon us and the school year is coming to a close many families are
already looking forward to the new school year. Summer can be a difficult time for working
families so it can feel helpful to look forward to the future school year. Many schools require
applying ahead of time and implement a lottery system, in which case families are forced to
plan well in advance. If you are looking ahead to the new school year you may be wondering
how to best prepare for the first parent teacher meeting.
This meeting usually takes place 1-2 weeks prior to school starting and allows families
the opportunity to become acquainted with their classroom. This is exceptionally helpful for
younger students who may have reservations about attending school. Students are often
involved in this meeting for this reason. This parent teacher meeting can be the perfect time to
open communication between families and teachers. As a parent it is important to let the
teacher lead and to actively listen. The teacher will be their main resource and role model for
the duration of the new school year so it is important that parents set the tone that students
should listen and respect their teachers.
Use the parent teacher meeting as an opportunity to maintain two-way communication.
This open communication should continue throughout the year. The more involved parents are
in their students’ academic lives the more successful they will be. Follow through is important
on everyone’s part. If goals and expectations are set it is important that both parents and
teachers follow through with any rewards and discipline that were previously discussed. If
students do not feel that there is a rigid structure in place, they will push the boundaries every
time. The best way to prevent this is to stick to a set structure.
