With parent-teacher conferences being implemented this year, parents will have the chance to meet face-to-face with the people their children learn from each day. Conferences will further develop and maintain a relationship between parents and teachers that will provide a strong support system for struggling and successful students. These conferences can only be successful, if parents, especially those with struggling students, attend.

Teachers have always been willing to assist parents by e-mail or the occasional meeting if needed. However, that isn’t always enough. Conferences allow parents to have a meeting with their child’s teacher and create a more personal relationship than through an e-mail. Although conferences are limited to five minutes per teacher, a parent can make another appointment to enable further communication. Parent-teacher conferences allow open dialogue to ensure every student has a successful year.

Although Back to School Night was held earlier in the year, that event was not a time for parents to ask questions concerning their children. Back to School Night is a necessary step in understanding classroom structure and curriculum, but it does not give parents any individual time with teachers. Parent-teacher conferences offer parents a more direct opportunity to communicate with a teacher. Even though the conferences create two extra evenings of work, they can be beneficial if teachers and parents embrace this necessary change.

Unlike Back to School Night, conferences allow parents to choose which teachers they want to visit. This will help parents focus on problematic academic areas for their children. Even if the child seems to be getting good grades in a class, the parents should still communicate with their child to see if there is a specific class with recurring issues. That way, the teacher can give their own opinion on what causes the problem and a possible solution for it. It’s rare that parents get to hear the teacher’s side of a story, and parent-teacher conferences foster more understanding.

Even though during parent teacher conferences a teacher will have only known a student for a little over a month, they can still grasp the idea of whether or not a student is struggling in the classroom. The teacher may not know the student personally, but can tell by the student’s attitude and grades if the class is not the best fit.

If during the conference it becomes apparent that the student is struggling, the parent and teacher can work as a team to develop a course of action for the student. Then, the student will not have to deal with the frustration of school alone and can lean on a support system for extra help. The parent and teacher can help ensure that the student gets the assistance that is needed.

If there are other areas that the student is struggling in such as too much homework, the parent and teacher can help construct a homework schedule to aid the student. The student may not need the extra help, but it would help ease the pressure of the class. And while this might not all happen in five minutes, it can be the beginning of a resolution.

Because conferences are valuable for any student, it is important that every parent participates. Parents of struggling children need to be at conferences because those are the students the teachers want to help the most. Students who have good grades may have underlying concerns that can be eliminated to make their high school career more enjoyable. Conferences can only be beneficial if there is an open line of communication between the students, their parents and teachers. This can only be done by having a high percentage of parent participation.