Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences: How to Make Them Successful

You just never know what you are going to see during a virtual parent-teacher conference.  Last year, as I logged into our meeting, I was shocked to see the parent on my monitor.  The mom was sitting in the hair salon getting her done, foils and all. I composed myself quickly and began our conference by thanking her for attending. Had we been in person, she might have skipped the conference altogether.

Over the years I've had some very interesting parent-teacher conferences, but that one was by far the best.

I actually enjoyed my parent-teacher conferences last year.  Having the conferences virtual, often allowed for both parents to attend. Parents felt more at ease. 

If you will be conducting virtual parent-teacher conferences this year, then this blog post is for you.  

How to Create a Sign-Up Using Google Calendar

Last year I used Google Calendar to create time slots for parents to sign-up in. It was super easy and almost every parent signed up. Here is a video tutorial for creating Google Calendar appointment times. Video

How to be Prepared

Be prepared for your conferences. I create folders for each of my students. In the folder, I have PDF files of what I plan on sharing with parents. Being that we use ESGI, for assessments, I can easily create pdf files for each student of their assessment data.

If holding a conference from home- make sure you are still professional- not in your t-shirt and sweats- have it quiet in your background. Also, make sure your overall background is professional. Remember this is a window into your home too. You don't want your laundry hanging out behind you.

What to Discuss During the Parent-Teacher Conference.

During the conference, I tell parents something great about their child. I ask the parents if there is something they would like me to know about their child as well. I then begin to share my observations and data. I make sure to tell them the trimester and end of the year goals for each area. I also make sure there is enough time for parents to ask me questions. Often if they are first-time parents to our school, they have a lot of questions.

Before we end our meeting, I offer suggestions on how they can help their child at home and make sure to thank them for taking the time to meet with me. I also make sure I write down anything I tell them that I will be doing for them and their child, such as speech referral or sending home a specific document. Keeping good notes, helps me stay organized for my never-ending list of must-dos.

Conference Check List

• Create a sign-up
• Prepare conference notes/assessment date for each child
• Send parent reminder notes
• Follow-up on anything discussed at the conference