5 Teacher Tips For Middle School Parent-Teacher Conferences

It’s November, the school year is moving along and we are now in the season for parent-teacher conferences. Whether your school does conferences at the end of the quarter or during the quarter, being prepared is key for successful conferences. In this blog post, I will discuss 5 Teacher Tips for Middle School Parent-Teacher Conferences that I have used over the years.

(1) Before Your Middle School Parent-Teacher Conferences

Get Organized

It’s important to be organized before meeting with parents to discuss their child’s progress in your classroom. If you hold conferences before the end of the quarter and report cards are not yet due, make sure all grades are up to date!

Currently, I teach 6th grade ELA and quite often we hold conferences before the end of the quarter. This means I need to make sure my grade book is updated! I need to have graded and put in all assignments that were given into the online gradebook. I also need to make sure I update who has missing assignments. This way I can inform parents and we can work together to make sure students have completed the work before the end of the quarter. 

Preschedule conferences with parents so they have an assigned time to meet with you or your teaching team. This further helps you with organization, that way you can have materials ready for the families you will be speaking with during conferences. When I taught elementary we sent out forms to parents to choose a time and then scheduled them. We then let them know what time their conference was occurring. For middle school, we do conferences as a team. We send out a link to a sign-up website where they can sign up for a conference time.

Have a checklist or notes prepared ahead of time for each scheduled conference. This will give you an order to what you will be discussing since time is limited. A basic format you can follow is to begin with the positives and tell something positive about the student. Then move into discussing grades and behaviors. Next, discuss your concerns in regards to grades and behavior if there are any. Ask the parents for feedback and support. Lastly, wrap up the conference on a positive note and talk about how you can work with the parents to help their child be their best.

(2) During Your Middle School Parent-Teacher Conferences

Conducting The Conference

I have found the following format to be successful when conducting parent-teacher conferences:

(1) Begin with positives! Tell your student’s parents something positive about them as it relates to your subject or classroom.

(2) Next discuss their strengths when it comes to grades and behavior.

(3) Now you are ready to talk about your concerns about their grades and classroom behavior. Allow the parents to chime in here with their concerns as well. Ask them for suggestions. Work to stay on the same page with the student’s parents as much as possible to help the student perform at their best. Come up with an idea or two to implement.

(4) Wrap up the conference. Be sure to take note of important information or any changes you will help make in the classroom.

*Please be realistic with what you can do! You have lots of students and limited time. For example, if a student needs help with staying focused an immediate solution you could do is to move them closer to the front of the classroom.

(3) During Your Middle School Parent-Teacher Conferences

Events Calendar

Discuss any upcoming events. If it is not yet the end of the quarter let parents know when the end of the quarter is and when grades are due. Inform them of any major assignment or project due dates coming up. Help keep them informed of planned field trips or school-wide events.

(4) During Your Middle School Parent-Teacher Conferences

Expect Nonscheduled Parents Arriving

During parent-teacher conferences expect nonscheduled parents to pop up at any time. This happens often. Parents may be accustomed to being able to just show up and talk with teachers depending on what was done at the elementary school their child came from. Or they may figure they can squeeze in a conference since they may already be in the building meeting with another teacher. 

No matter the reason for why they are trying to see you for a conference. You need to know how to handle unexpected appointments. During our conferences, we set out a few chairs by the door. This is for parents who need to wait in case a conference has gone over time. But it is also for parents to wait just in case we finish up a conference early or we have parents who do not show up. If this happens we can see the unscheduled parents for a conference. 

If we absolutely have no time to meet with the parents who are not on schedule we schedule them for another time during the school day. These conferences take place during our conference/ planning period. We give parents the option of coming in, doing an online conference, phone conference, or communicating through email.

(5) After Parent-Teacher Conferences

 Take Action

Follow up and do your part with what you discussed with the students’ parents. For example, if it is moving a child’s seat up closer to the front then make that change. If it is letting the school counselor know they need some resources then send that email. Be sure to remind students that you meet with their parents during conferences if the student did not attend the conference with their parents. Briefly discuss any changes and encourage the student to do their best as they move forward in the quarter. 

Being prepared for parent-teacher conferences is essential to help things run smoothly and maximize your time! Use these 5 Teacher Tips For Middle School Parent-Teacher Conferences at your next conferences if you are looking for ways to help you conduct a successful conference!