Liberty Traditional is hosting parent/teacher conferences March 26 and 27, and we’re excited to meet up with our parents for the success of our students. However, we know that sometimes uncomfortable issues have to be raised during a parent/teacher conference. How do you prepare for that?

The way you ask a question or raise a concern can go a long way toward creating a partnership with your child’s teacher in finding a solution. It’s always good to remember that you often don’t have all the details, so it is important to approach a situation as if you are on a fact-finding mission rather than a fault-finding one.

You might find this website useful for preparing for conferences in general. The site lists some specific suggestions for raising concerns without seeming confrontational:

1. May I share a concern?
   If you’re worried about a situation at school, bring it up with the teacher. Teachers usually appreciate when parents bring an issue to their attention, as long as it’s done with respect.
2. Can you fill me in on this situation?
   When your child has complaints about what’s going on at school, Justin Baeder, director of the Principal Center, advises parents to “ask for clarification from the teacher; often your child’s side is the only side you’ve heard.”
3. Can you tell me about your teaching method?
   If you have an issue with the teacher’s method, ask him or her to help you understand it. There may be good reasons for what the teacher is doing that you hadn’t thought of.
4. Do you have any advice?
   If you need help with an issue your child is having, ask the teacher for input. “Teachers have worked with dozens or hundreds of students, and many have sage advice to share,” recommends Baeder.

In October, we blogged about how to prepare for our fall conferences. We encourage you to take another look at that post for more tips as our March 26-27 conferences approach.