Tom is a new immigrant who comes from China. He has a young daughter who goes to a local primary school in Box Hill. Tom got a notice from the school about a parent-teacher interview. Tom has never been to a parent-teacher interview before. He asked his friend Mary for help. Mary is an Australian lady who lives next door to Tom. She is very kind and helpful. Mary said to Tom that most parents feel nervous about going to parent-teacher interviews. Here are some of the things that Mary told Tom about.
Book an appointment early
Teachers are not free for a long time. They do a lot of work in and outside class. Teachers expect all parents to attend the parent-teacher interviews. If you don't attend the interview, this may show that you don't care about your child's education.
Be polite
Remember to say hello and introduce yourself to the teacher. At the end of the interview, remember to say thank you to the teacher for her work with your daughter.
Don’t be shy
If you don’t speak good English, the teacher will pay more attention and try to understand what you say. You can take a friend who speaks good English to the parent-teacher interview if this makes you less nervous.
Ask the teacher all the questions you want
Ask the teacher how your daughter is doing in class and if she needs more help at home. The teacher can make a plan to help your child more if you work together. The teacher can write notes and send them with the student so the parents know what is happening in class. The parent usually signs these notes and returns them to the teacher.
Don’t complain about the teacher’s work
If your child does not perform well in class, this may not be a mistake by the teacher. Do not complain about her work and say she does not know how to teach or that in your country education is much better. This can be a rude thing to say.
If you are busy, you can talk to the teacher on the phone
Most parents go to the parent-teacher interviews on time. Some of the parents can be too busy to come to these interviews. They can ring the school and talk to the teacher on the phone. The teacher can tell the parent about the progress of the student. She can ask the parent some questions to find out how the student learns at home. The parent can also ask the teacher any question he or she likes about the child’s education.
