Virtual School Conferences
As we approach conference time, we are preparing for a virtual meeting with our children’s teachers. To limit people inside the school setting, all events are being held virtually. These virtual conferences are a little different than years past, but we are hopeful for a wonderful parent teacher conferences. Even with the change in locale, the most important thing you can do is prepare for your short meeting with your child’s teacher.
How Virtual Conferences are Different
Virtual meetings are much more convenient for many families as you do not need to leave your house. There is no need to arrange a babysitter if your children can play quietly (or watch a movie) in another room. There is no driving to the school, waiting for your time to begin, and no endless walks to your child’s classroom. You can schedule multiple children back to back since you don’t need to travel between classrooms and schools.
However, we will miss the book fair on site. To get great books, visit Scholastic. We will also miss getting to see our child’s classroom, but really this year his classroom is our house. We will miss the chance to meet a few other parents from his class too. Conferences are usually such a wonderful time to get to know the school better and meet many of the specials teachers and support staff.
Additionally, some difficulties due to technology and internet concerns may limit participation. Some parents may be unable to attend virtual conferences due to limited access to internet, technology concerns, or even lack of knowledge for using technology. Another aspect that may arise is sharing your background with your child’s teacher. Teachers are getting an in-depth look into their students’ homes this year. This includes interactions with family, general noise and layout of their home, and so much more.
Come Prepared
For our conferences, I always bring a notebook to take some notes about my children. I also always come with at least one question, many times these come from my own children but sometimes they come from trends I noticed in their report cards or even struggles we’ve noticed that they are having this year. I always try to have the teachers give us one or two goals for our children to work on. Be sure to write these down and actually follow through. Then ask about the progress the teacher notices at the second round of conferences.
Be On Time for Your Virtual Conferences
First thing we did after setting up our virtual conferences was add the day and time to our calendar. We set up a 5 minute and 1 minute alert so that we were ready to log in at the right time. The 5 minute reminder provides us enough time to remind our children that we will be in a conference. In addition, we can set up our conference area.
While the 1 minute alert will make sure we log in at the right moment without wasting any of our conference time. Teachers will use the same link for all families most likely, so if you log in too early, you will enter into another child’s conference.
If you happen to log in while another parent is still in a conference, double check it’s your time, let the teacher know you are here and ask if you should come back in a few minutes. The teacher may ask you to return in a minute or may just have you wait. Other teachers might have a waiting room, where you will wait when you log in. The teacher will invite you into the conference once the prior family’s conference has ended. The teacher could also send you a message when it is your time, if you have a messaging program available.
What the Teacher Shares
Once the meeting begins, the teacher will most likely share your child’s different levels in each class and how they are doing. During this time, I take note of any levels that are shared, any areas of strength and areas for improvement. Usually they also have a behavior checklist to share, many times these are completed by your child. It’s always interesting to see where your child thinks they need to improve and where they see their strengths. If the teacher has any concerns, they will most likely have shared those prior to the conferences. However, some teachers do wait until the first conference to share.
Plus the teacher will usually share some of your child’s work. If the teacher is sharing their screen with you, ask for a copy of the presentation about your child. This way you don’t need to take as many notes and have all the right information whenever you need it. What a great way to keep that information!
Questions to Ask
After the teacher shares, use the rest of the time to ask any questions you have or address any concerns. This is a great time to write goals or request assistance with learning. If the teachers inform you of any areas where your child needs more help, be sure to ask for a plan of how to best help your child. This might include a computer program, worksheets the teacher will send home, or even having your child meet with a specialist. Then, ask your child’s teacher how you will know if your child is making growth.
With remote learning, parents have a unique vantage point of their child’s learning. We are seeing things that we never saw before and getting a picture of our child too. It is perfectly acceptable, even encouraged, for you to share anything you happen to notice as you observe your child in school. Let the teacher know and ask for strategies if you need some tips for helping your child to succeed in remote schooling.
If your child is having technology issues, this is the perfect time to talk with your teacher’s about it. If you’ve noticed your child struggling with focus during the day, ask your child’s teacher if they notice this behavior too. Many times, little things that you notice are completely age appropriate, but it never hurts to ask. Need more tips for supporting your child, check out our post Remote Learning – Child Lost. If you are looking to support your child with reading, writing, fine motor, or math facts, be sure to head on over to these posts. We’ve also compiled some ways to assist families with extending remote learning too.
Sharing the Virtual Conference with Your Child
After our virtual conference, we love to talk with our children about the wonderful things that the teachers share. We also talk about any areas where our children might need to focus. This is a great time to brainstorm different ways we can work to best help our child during the school year.
And even though conferences are virtual, it doesn’t mean you still can’t celebrate with your children. After conferences end, stop by a local drive through ice cream parlor, pick up dessert as a take out, make an order online for something fun for your child, etc. It’s a little different, but still fun for your children. And, of course, you could turn the evening into a special movie night or family game night.
We’d love if you’d drop us a comment below and let us know how your virtual parent-teacher conferences went. What lessons did you learn? What did you enjoy most about the conference? Where could the conference have been improved? Looking for more practical solutions to real-life problems, subscribe to our newsletter below.