Preparing for a Parent-Teacher Conference

During a parent-teacher conference, parents only get about 30 minutes of an instructor’s time. This may hardly feel like enough when it comes to a child’s education, and in order to make the most of it, here’s a checklist to help you prepare for this important meeting.

□ 为家长会做好准备

在老师和家长的面谈会中，家长一般只有30分钟的时间可以和教师交流，这对关心着孩子教育问题的家长来说是远远不够的。为了能充分利用好这30分钟，我们列出了一份清单来帮助大家为家长会做好准备。

□ Keep a Folder of Your Child’s Work

Not sure where to stick assignments other than the fridge? Get a folder and place everything a child brings home in there. This organizes report cards, notes, and other classroom documents. When it comes time to meet with the teacher, all a parent has to do is find this folder to track progress since the start of school.

□ 用文件夹整理好孩子的作品

觉得孩子的作业无处可放？准备一个文件夹，把孩子带回家的文件都整理到一起。这样能够让成绩单、笔记和其他的课堂文件都井井有条。当你要和老师见面的时候，家长只需要把文件夹拿出来，从学期初回顾孩子的进展就可以了。

□ Talk to Your Son or Daughter

As the conference gets closer, parents should set aside some time to talk to their child, finding out if there’s anything they should ask the teacher. This would also be a good time to find out about a child’s favorite and least favorite subjects and any troublesome areas. All in all, a chat with a child just gives the parent a way to gauge how to address this meeting.

□ 和你的孩子谈谈

见面会快要临近的时候，父母应该安排出一些时间和自己的孩子谈谈，看看他们有没有需要特别咨询老师的事宜。这也是一个发现孩子喜爱和不喜爱的科目，以及其他困处的好机会。总而言之，和孩子的谈话能够让父母更加明确这次见面会的定位。

□ Write Down Questions

After a chat with the child, parents should write down questions they want to ask. Once they’re in the meeting, it may be hard to remember everything they wanted to say. If a child has a babysitter after school, a parent may also want to ask him or her for any general observations before going into this conference.

Some sample questions may include:

·How is my child doing socially?

·What areas of improvement would you suggest (academic or otherwise)?

·What are some strength areas?

□把问题写下来

在和孩子的谈话结束后，父母应该把自己想问的问题写下来。一旦见面会开始，你可能会忘记一些原本想要问的问题。如果孩子有保姆看顾的话，父母也应该问一下保姆孩子在课后的表现。

你可以问的问题有：

• 我孩子的社交方面表现怎么样？

• 什么方面是您觉得还有待改进的（学术或者其他）？

• 孩子的长处又在什么地方？

□ Have a Point and Aim to Stick with It

After writing down questions, if parents discover they have particular issues they want to address, they should prioritize some matters over others—after all, they only have about 30 minutes. While some brief small talk can be exchanged, parents shouldn’t feel bad for just getting straight to their biggest concern or concerns, especially if it’s something they’re worried about.

□谈话要有着重点

在写下来问题以后，如果家长发现有一些问题是着重想要问的，就应该把这些问题标注出来——毕竟你们只有30分钟的时间。你们可以闲聊一会儿，但也完全可以开门见山，直接询问自己最感兴趣的部分，尤其是自己比较担忧的问题。

□ Maintain a Good Attitude

Parents don’t want to go on the defensive, no matter the issue. They should address the teacher with respect and not let emotions rule them. Ultimately, the goal of the meeting is to help the student. Parents should refrain from entering a meeting with a chip on their shoulder because it may prevent anything from being solved.

□保持良好的态度

无论是发生什么事情，家长都不应该带着防御的态度，而应该对教师保持尊重，不要让自己被情绪控制。不管怎么样，帮助孩子才是家长会最大的目的。家长从踏进门开始就需要保持克制，以免影响到真正问题的解决。

The Bottom Line

Parent-teacher conferences may seem like a nuisance sometimes, especially when parents’ schedules can get jam-packed throughout the school year. But they’re very valuable in helping parents and instructors learn more about the home and class lives of a student.

□ 底线

家长会可能会是一件比较讨人厌的事情，尤其是家长在学年内都非常忙碌，挤不出时间的时候。但是这种见面会对老师和家长了解孩子的家庭表现和学校生活是非常有价值的。

（本文转自公众号“美国安居置业一点通”）