Parent/Teacher meeting

Ken.

I've to go to my first parent/teacher meeting for my daughter on Tuesday. She started first year in September. What should i be asking the various teachers on the day?. I want to do it right. Any help appreciated.




Mods:If this is in the wrong place I apologise and please move it as you see fit.

MiskyBoyy

I'm not a parent but I'll point out what seems obvious to me...

Ask each teacher how your daughter is doing in said class & subject and if there is any room for improvement. If so, ask what you can do as a parent to help?

Ken.

DaLad wrote: »

I'm not a parent but I'll point out what seems obvious to me...

Ask each teacher how your daughter is doing in said class & subject and if there is any room for improvement. If so, ask what you can do as a parent to help?

So bloody obvious but never crossed my mind It would be so simple. Cheers DaLad

MiskyBoyy

lucyfur09 wrote: »

So bloody obvious but never crossed my mind It would be so simple. Cheers DaLad

Lol, I was hoping it wasn't too obvious and seemed dumb.
Glad I could be of some assistance.
A laid back approach is always the best in any situation I have found anyway, good luck with it!

doc_17

bring the christmas report and identify which subjects (if any) she is struggling with and try to pinpoint the reason why. Ask the teacher what you do at home to help improve this.

Also from an overall point of view ask her how she is settling in ie making friends etc.

dory

Yea, I agree with the above. I teach first years and had the PT meetings recently. The worst is when the parents just sit there and don't say anything! Ask lots of questions about how they're settling in and that.

paulgalway

doc_17 wrote: »

bring the christmas report.

+1 for bringing the report. It should be your starting point.

Talk to the daughter before you go in order to get an understanding of any concerns/issues she may have with subjects or teachers; you may have to read between the lines also.

Make sure you have a pen and small notebook to jot down the main points from each teacher. Are the teachers consistent, in general, with their comments.

What is she like in class, does she ask questions, is she well behaved, does she get on well with other students.

Use the opportunity to meet the principal and other support staff.

Finally review with daughter and address any issues.

TheDriver

and don't be smart with teachers i.e. !they are all talking about you" or "I don't know why his marks have gone down ever since we have got her the xbox in the bedroom"
and big no no, asking for lots of advice and then not acting on any of it and turning up next year and the same story.
Lastly, be prepared for the truth!

P.S. Don't meet the principal or deputy, they won't have a clue who your daughter is unless they are a trouble maker

Ken.

Thank's for all the replies folks. As for the meeting the principle i have to. They got a new principal a few weeks ago and he wants to meet all the parents.

happywithlife

principals like to know the good 'uns too you know!

also + bringing the report and a biro to jot down any notes/ incidentals..

also, as she is in first year, is she doing a kind of 'taster' programme i.e. taking all subjects this year and deciding later on which ones to keep on for junior cert. in that case, talk to her beforehand about which subjects she'd like to keep on next year and then discuss this with the relevant teacher - e.g. one may think she has a particular appitute for a subject that hasn't featured on her radar yet.

also, do you know who her class teacher and year head are? do you want to touch base with them to see how she is settling in overall? its not all about the academia afterall.
hth

golden virginia

I don't mean to overburden you - there is loads of questions to ask --- but --- the subjects that your child expresses interest in -ask those teachers - about careers in that area!

I know your child is only in first year but a lot of important choices on subjects are made during first year, and in two years time in third year when students finish junior cycle.
At a parent teacher meeting i always try to talk to parents about careers in my subject area so that parents would know the implications of choosing or dropping my subject.

Also - Its different for every school - it may or not be acceptable in your school - but often i find parents come with the student and this makes things clear for everyone

Fuinseog

lucyfur09 wrote: »

I've to go to my first parent/teacher meeting for my daughter on Tuesday. She started first year in September. What should i be asking the various teachers on the day?. I want to do it right. Any help appreciated.




Mods:If this is in the wrong place I apologise and please move it as you see fit.

if she is failing in a certain subject maybe ask what you could be doing.
maybe enquire after homework clubs.
do not refer to how well she was doing in primary school. she has moved on to secondary school. its a different ball game.

implausible

Oh OP, if all of my students' parents were like you - eager to go to the P/T meeting and to get the most out of it!

I don't really have anything to add to the great advice given here, except a definite +1 on the notebook and report - the amount of teachers, subjects and information can be overwhelming.

Ken.

I've got a notebook ready to go with a page for each subject. Theirs one other small problem I'll have. My daughters mother (my ex) died in October. She missed 2 weeks of school and missed out on a part of something they were doing in maths.

She asked the teacher 3 times to show her the basics during class and the teacher said see me after class each time. When my daughter went to her at the end of class the teacher always said "oh don't have time right now i'll show you next time were on it".

My questions are, Do i say something to the teacher? and if i do how do i phrase it without sounding like i'm getting on the teachers case?. Should i mention it to the principal about it?,bypassing the teacher.

The school were absolutely fabulous at the time of her mothers death. The principal called in to check on her every day for a week.

BTW: thank you all so much for the help provided so far. I will post back and let you know how it went.

paulgalway

lucyfur09 wrote: »

Should i mention it to the principal about it?,bypassing the teacher.

No, do not by-pass the teacher.

During the P/T, I would bring it up.

You could mention that the daughter found it a difficult time, and is now trying to catch up on the material she missed at that time and would the teacher mind going over the material this week.
Maybe even ask when they could do it and make sure they make a note of it.

spurious

implausible wrote: »

Oh OP, if all of my students' parents were like you - eager to go to the P/T meeting and to get the most out of it!

I'd love if many of 'my' parents bothered to show up at all.

OP, you didn't say whether your daughter's school requires her to accompany you to the meeting or not. Obviously where things are going well, this can be a hugely affirming experience, but some children (particularly good kids) can get terribly upset at one 'not so good' report.

Depending on how the school organises the meeting - it could take you hours to go round all the teachers, if queueing time is a factor. I know it's a l-o-n-g evening for teachers. It's probably worse for parents.

Fuinseog

unless there is an issue do not stay talking to the teacher for more than five minutes. Some parents waffle on for 20 mins about the weather. They are lovely people, but if the teacher has two first year groups it can be a strain.

Ken.

Quick update: Went to the p/t meeting and noticed i was the only person who had a notebook(thanks for that suggestion). The teachers seemed impressed that i had it and was using it to take notes and subsequently i spent more time with each teacher to such an extent it took me 3 hours to do all the teachers.

I spoke to the maths teacher and she was apologetic about blowing my daughter off but has agreed to give up her lunch break on Thursday to catch my daughter up.

So a big thank you to everyone who gave me advise on here. It was really really appreciated.

Jolly Red Giant

golden virginia wrote: »

I don't mean to overburden you - there is loads of questions to ask --- but --- the subjects that your child expresses interest in -ask those teachers - about careers in that area!

I know your child is only in first year but a lot of important choices on subjects are made during first year, and in two years time in third year when students finish junior cycle.
At a parent teacher meeting i always try to talk to parents about careers in my subject area so that parents would know the implications of choosing or dropping my subject.

Also - Its different for every school - it may or not be acceptable in your school - but often i find parents come with the student and this makes things clear for everyone

Hang on a minute - the child is in first year - talking about careers is daft. Let children settle in the school, grow into the new experience and way of doing things and learn to enjoy learning, no matter what the subject. If you were teaching my child in first year and you started talking 'careers' at a P/T meeting I would have the child out of the subject the following day.

paulgalway

Jolly Red Giant wrote: »

talking about careers is daft.

Totaly agree with Jolly Red Giant.

FYI, Alot of Leaving Cert students are about to sit exams in May/June and are not sure what they want to do.

She has plenty of time, but needless to say any encouragement in the direction of Science or IT would give better job prospects.

Ken.

The only choice she gets up to 3rd year is next year. She has a choice between art and business. With the greatest respects to art students and teachers i've been gently steering her towards business.

Jolly Red Giant

lucyfur09 wrote: »

The only choice she gets up to 3rd year is next year. She has a choice between art and business. With the greatest respects to art students and teachers i've been gently steering her towards business.

Ask yourself these questions

Which subject does she enjoy more?

Does she enjoy reading?

Is she academically inclined?

Is she good at rote learning?

If it were my child I would steering her in the direction of the subject that she will enjoy more - and as a consequence will do better in - the steering will be easier (and I would be less likely to have a rebellious 2nd year on my hands).

Fizzical

lucyfur09 wrote: »

The only choice she gets up to 3rd year is next year. She has a choice between art and business. With the greatest respects to art students and teachers i've been gently steering her towards business.

I'm a science teacher and my three children took Art as a subject, two of them to Leaving Cert level. Art is a terrific subject - opens a new world to them, introduces them to a culture that is so important in every society, helps them to express themselves in a way that they don't have in everyday life, and develops their creativity.

A well educated child is cultured, not just numerate.

(Of course, they didn't have to choose between Business and Art - what a crock!)

spurious

Fizzical wrote: »

A well educated child is cultured, not just numerate.

I wish more people remembered this.

Ken.

Fizzical wrote: »

I'm a science teacher and my three children took Art as a subject, two of them to Leaving Cert level. Art is a terrific subject - opens a new world to them, introduces them to a culture that is so important in every society, helps them to express themselves in a way that they don't have in everyday life, and develops their creativity.

A well educated child is cultured, not just numerate.

(Of course, they didn't have to choose between Business and Art - what a crock!)

Fair point Fizzical. My daughter wants to run a beauty clinic when she leaves school so that's why i was pushing business over art. It is a pain that it is a choice between the 2 but when i was in school it was a choice between French and art which was worse cause i liked both.

golden virginia

Well done Lucyfur - It looks like you have conquered the technique of PT meeting.

Its a pity that your daughter has to choose between art or business studies. Both subjects would be in the line of her career interest - artistic and managerial.

What about the other subjects? Are these predetermined and does your daughter have no choice in those at all ?

Jolly Red Giant

lucyfur09 wrote: »

Fair point Fizzical. My daughter wants to run a beauty clinic when she leaves school so that's why i was pushing business over art. It is a pain that it is a choice between the 2 but when i was in school it was a choice between French and art which was worse cause i liked both.

Be a little cautious about this - teenagers change their mind all the time. I have four children and all have been determined to a several different things right up to the leaving cert. One of them only decided in the last six mothns before the LC exam - two others only after they actually finished it and then changed their CAO choices.

Ken.

golden virginia wrote: »

Well done Lucyfur - It looks like you have conquered the technique of PT meeting.

Its a pity that your daughter has to choose between art or business studies. Both subjects would be in the line of her career interest - artistic and managerial.

What about the other subjects? Are these predetermined and does your daughter have no choice in those at all ?

She has no choice other than art/b.s till after the junior cert.At the moment its English,Irish,Maths,French,Art,business,Science,History,C.S.P.E.,Tech Graphics,Home Ec, and then the non exam Religion and S.P.H.E.

golden virginia

Its a pity that there is very little choice given to your daughter of subjects- but on the bright side there a good balance of subjects.

On whether or not to choose art - i am totally biased because I teach art. I did business or 'commerce' as it was called then for first year and then dropped it. We did bookkeeping in first year and this was useful. Actually the main reason why I dropped commerce was because we had this macho business teacher ( we were all girls) and he told us that he make good secretaries out of all of us :eek: In first year I was convinced I wanted to be a nurse -- and then in second year I got a new art teacher ,,,,and sure the rest is history!