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Forget
report cards. Many preschool and primary school teachers today
rely more on formal parent-teacher conferences to convey
information about a child's progress. but as important as these
face-to-face meetings are, they're often limited to 15-minute or
20-minute intervals. So it pays to plan ahead and do your
homework, says Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish, the coauthors of How
to Talk So Kids Can Learn: At Home and in School(Fireside).
You can make the most of the time you'll have with the teacher
by following these five strategies:
1. Before
you go, jot down questions you would like to ask
about how your child is doing and what you can do to help.
2. Start
the session by describing a positive classroom
experience your child has had ("Sam really enjoyed the
lesson you gave on rockets.") This tells the teacher
what she or he is doing right and sets a positive tone for
the meeting.
3. Share
any information from home that may be affecting
your child's performance in school ("Nicole has been
very quiet and sad since her grandmother became ill").
4. Instead
of telling the teacherwhat she or he is doing
wrong, try describing specific ways you've found to meet
your child's needs ("My son gets discouraged easily,
especially with reading. I've discovered that he does better
when someone notices any little progress he makes.")
5. Follow
up with a note to the teacher. This finishing touch
will help confirm what you've discussed and establish that
you're both working toward the common goal of helping your
youngster succeed in school.
Article
taken from Sesame Street Parents, November 1999
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