A parent/teacher conference is only as successful as you, the parent, make it. It makes no sense to let the teacher do all of the talking if you have questions about your child’s performance in school. The teacher knows how your child acts in school – you may have questions on how to bridge that gap and how you and the teacher can create a successful student together. The parent/teacher conference is not the time to bring up something your child said happened three weeks ago or last month in the lunchroom. Any issues that your child brings home to you should be addressed at that time, when the facts are fresh. Use this fifteen minute window of time to gain as much insight to your child’s school performance as you can.

In order to be prepared for your conference, here are some questions that you can bring with you to ask. Don’t be afraid to take notes, to appear like a Type A over achieving parent. This is the image you want to project- by allowing the teacher to realize that you’re on your game, will compel him/her to be on his/her game when it comes to your child. Take it from a former teacher – there’s nothing that we liked more than a responsive parent who actually paid attention to what was said in the conference and acted on it. In addition, talk with your child before the conference – ask him/her if there are any questions s/he wants you to ask

Here are some questions (in no particular order) that you might want to ask your child’s teacher. Feel free to pick and choose the questions that you need as some questions are more appropriate for older or younger grade levels. I have also uploaded it in a PDF for easy printing.

• What are my child’s strengths and weaknesses? What is her best/worst subject?

• What can I do to continue to support my child at home? Do you have any suggestions for materials, books, activities etc that we can use to help him?

• How does she get along with the other students? Other teachers?

• **Are there any indications of a disability or other issues? (i.e. speech, vision, hearing, learning, motor control, ADD, ADHD etc.)

• Does my child show any special abilities or affinities for art, music, writing, acting?

• When is the best time to contact you? Would I be able to contact you via e-mail?
• Are there any school/community programs from which he might benefit?

• Are there any skills that need reinforcement at home?

• How does she handle taking tests?

• Does he work well independently?

• How can I continue to support what you do in the classroom at home?

Side note: **DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT be afraid to ask this question. It is better to catch these issues early than to let them continue to affect your child’s achievement.

These are all the questions that we may think to ask when we come in for the conference, but forget to ask in the course of conversation! Print it out, take your paper in, don’t be ashamed to be a ‘note taker’ and a type A parent. Believe me, the teachers appreciate it.

Happy Conferencing!

1 in Unity
N’Mama

Questions

The subject of a dress code in the public schools is a touchy one as it cannot be mandated. However, many schools in this district do follow a voluntary uniform policy with the blessings of the parents. Studies show that the use of uniforms in public schools can reduce violence and instill a sense of community among the students. Uniforms also keep teachers from having to deal with inappropriate clothing judgment calls. When I was in the classroom, I truly appreciated the uniforms because I didn’t have to deal with fifth grade girls with “juicy” written on their bottoms. Uniforms also reduce clothes competition among students – if they’re all wearing polo shirts and khaki pants or skirts, there’s nothing to compare.

Of course, there are the people that say that uniforms stifle a child’s freedom of expression, etc. etc. Honestly speaking, I send my child to school to learn and to express himself academically. You can express yourself clothing-wise all you want after that dismissal bell rings.

Looking around the school campus this first day of school, it seemed that the uniform wearing students were mostly the younger students. The older students (5th-6th grade) were sporting extreme hairstyles, tight jeans, tight shirts, short skirts (for the girls), baggy shirts and baggy pants (for the boys). Some of these students didn’t even bother bringing a backpack to school. Why are our children dressing like this? Wouldn’t be simpler just to dress them in uniforms, or at the very least, “school clothes”? Do parents even know what school clothes even are anymore?

We have got to instill in our children how “clothes make the man (woman)”. Certainly, there is a place for casual clothing. However, we should help our children show pride in themselves and dress the part of a successful student. When you dress your child in a t-shirt and jeans, what does that tell him or her about how to feel about school? Is school a place to hang out and connect with friends, or is it a place where you are preparing for the rest of your life?

Think about the people at work. There were teachers at some of my former schools who dressed as if they had just finished mowing the lawn, brushed their hands on their pants and came to school. (Interestingly enough, these were the some of the same teachers who did not have control of their class.) You know who the executives are by their dress. You can also tell who works in the mailroom.

I, for one, don’t want my children to blend in to a sea of faces. I want them to stand out as the “one who knows science” or the “one who knows math” or the “one who loves reading”. That’s the kind of impression that I want my children to make, not “best dressed” or the “one who’s mom bankrupted herself in the designer clothes section”.

Clothes do make the man (woman)…. what kind of man(woman) are you making?

Black parents,we need to instill in our children a sense of pride in the way they dress. We are well aware of how clothes do serve to influence how others perceive us and in extreme cases may mean life and death, especially for our black boys. We as black parents should always take the time to ensure that our children look the part we want them to play in our lives and the lives of others.