7 Tips to Help with Student Led Conferences and Parent Teacher Conference

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Conferences can be stressful, but they don’t have to be! I’ve got 7 tips to help you be successful at your conference, no matter the situation.

Somehow I blinked and suddenly it’s October and conference season is upon us! For some schools, conferences already happened, for others, it’s still a ways away. One year, our school decided to have conferences in September, and honestly, I loved it! It was such a great way to continue building relationships with families since we had just seen them a few weeks before at back-to-school night. Plus, it was a great way to get a jump start on providing support and discussing concerns.

Whether your conferences have already happened, or they still aren’t for a few weeks, I want to encourage you to catch this podcast episode. I have a feeling you’re going to have at least one takeaway that you haven’t thought about before.

Before we get too far into today’s blog post, there is one thing I want to address that can often be misconstrued. I want everyone who is reading to know that I always want to be as inclusive as possible. You are going to have students with anywhere from no parents to up to four parents. You’re going to have students who call their grandma or grandpa mom or dad. You’re going to have families that you almost need a flowchart to explain. Your student’s parent might bring along their significant other. Your student’s guardian might be a foster placement, family friend, grandma, uncle, sibling, you name it. In today’s post, if I say parents or guardians or even families, please know that I am referring to your student’s grown-ups. Some students might have two very involved parents who just so happen to be out of town so they send a family member to the conference. Every single situation is so different, but when I say parents or families, I mean the person who is showing up to the conference.

Differences Between Student Led Conferences and

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent Teacher Conferences are the traditional route a lot of schools take when hosting conferences. They are typically teacher-led and there is usually not a lot of time between meetings. Keep the following things in mind to help this type of conference run smoothly:

Know who is invited (1 parent, both parents, whole families, etc.)
Stick to a tight schedule, when possible.
Use folders for each student’s work samples, goals, testing data, etc.
Start off by asking if there are any important things the family wants to address before you start IF you know the family will not dominate the conference.

Student Led Conferences are a relatively new idea in the teaching world, and some teachers aren’t quite sure how to go about transitioning between the traditional conference and a Student Led Conference. I personally LOVE Student Led Conferences! Here are some tips to help:

Consider using the Speaking and Listening standard to grade students on their conference
Create a very specific rubric tiered toward levels of learning for each student
- Make sure to highlight what students should add. Class schedule, goals sheet, self-reflection, plans for after high school, data, etc.
Give lots of class time to work on the project
- We worked on it during Home Base or 20 minutes at the end of the day so it didn’t seem like something extra they had to do outside of school
Give students the opportunity to choose how they present their conference
- Posterboard, PowerPoint, etc.
- Use Powerpoint templates on Teachers Pay Teachers to make it easy!
- Consider letting students use pictures to show classmates or what they are involved in at school
Limit presentations to 8-10 minutes each
Schedule conferences in 20-minute blocks to allow time for parent questions, student conferences, and teacher comments

How to Plan for a Parent Teacher Conference or Student Led Conference

Before you can start planning, you need to know how your school district schedules its conferences. In some schools, conferences are just open house style which definitely takes the pressure off of you as a teacher. In others, the secretary might schedule the conference, or there are also schools where teachers have to schedule the conferences. If you are in a school where you are the one scheduling the conferences, I HIGHLY recommend using a website such as SignUpGenius so that you can send out communication to your students’ grownups. Be aware that not all families have or use technology though, so there may be a few that you need to make special arrangements with.

Tip # 1 - MAKE CONTACT BEFORE CONFERENCES

From the very beginning of the school year, do your best to build a professional relationship with the students’ guardians. Sending a quick text checking in every now and then or sending positive class updates can go a long way. If there are bigger issues going on, try your best to address those long before the day of the conference. Have a log available for your records showing each time you made contact, or attempted to make contact with the parent. Don’t wait until conferences to stay organized! Having a positive relationship with the family before conference day will make the day-of go a lot smoother because they will already know and trust you!

If you’re looking for more information about how to build the right relationship with parents, be sure to check out this video series!

Tip # 2 - SEND HOME CONFERENCE REMINDERS

After you get the conference scheduled, you want to make sure your students and their families don’t forget! Write it in planners, send it on a piece of paper, or have parents sign or initial a paper saying that they remember it’s coming up. If you teach younger grades, you can use the cute reminder bracelets to put on your students the day of the conference. Not only is it important that they know the dates that conferences are happening, but it’s also important that they each know their specific scheduled time.

Tip # 3 HAVE EVERYTHING PREPPED AND READY TO GO

For a lot of schools, conferences happen after a full day of teaching, so it doesn’t leave a lot of time to prepare the day-of. This means that you need to decide what you will need for your conference and have it all printed and ready to go!

I like to use class time to have students put their conference folders together. I go through the list with students making sure they have everything in there that needs to be. Then, before conferences begin, I organize all of my folders and stack them in the order that students will be arriving. Because the time between every conference is so limited, I can easily grab the next folder off the stack without having to dig through and become frustrated when I can’t find it.

It’s also important to think through your conference from a parent’s perspective. Is your room clearly identifiable? How will they know when to come into your room? Do you have spaces for them to wait if they get there while you are finishing up with the conference scheduled before them? Displaying a schedule outside of your classroom door or wherever grown-ups are expected to wait, is always helpful!

But Kayla, what should they do while they wait?

A few things I’ve always loved to leave out for families depending on the age/grade include:

Books they can read together
Coloring Station
Class Games (think easy math or reading games they could play together)

Volunteer Forms
Snack Sign Up
Classroom Wish List
Class/School Surveys (think Advanced Ed),
About My Child Forms

The key to all of this though is having everything organized and prepped beforehand. This means I can use the end of the school day to clean up my classroom a little bit...well, who am I kidding, have students clean up the classroom a little bit, and then I can lay everything out quickly, freshen up, have a snack, and be ready for an awesome night!

Tip #4 - POSITIVE STUDENT FEEDBACK EXAMPLES

During conference time, it is very important to highlight the good things each student is doing, in addition to recommending things they can do better. Some people say to use the “sandwich” method by starting with something positive, throwing in something the student needs to work on, and then ending with another positive. My favorite way to use positive praise during conferences is through Two Glows and a Grow and Two Hearts and a Wish. It is so important for the Glows and the Grows to be personalized to each student. Glows can be anything you’d like to highlight that your student is doing well. Grows can be anything you’d like your student to do better; get to school on time, stay focused in class, practice their spelling words, etc. Both Glows and Grows can be related to academics, behavior, or social-emotional learning. Be sure to grab these templates from my TPT Store !

Tip # 5 PUT ON YOUR GLOVE

This tip may be one you’ve never heard before unless you’ve listened to my podcasts or you’ve been a part of the Manageable New Teacher Membership. Just like a doctor puts on a glove before getting to work, we need to put on our gloves as teachers in order to protect ourselves, as well as protect our students and their families. When going into conferences, we have to remember that some parents have had a really bad experience, either when they were in school, or sometimes even a bad experience with other teachers in the past. It isn’t uncommon for parents to have trust issues with the school due to past experiences either.

Additionally, some parents/guardians might have different views or ideas as to how they believe things should look or be done in a classroom. During these interactions, the most important thing you can do is listen, provide empathy, and be understanding… even if you do have a different view or opinion. By listening and showing that you care, you will be able to open up the door for discussion, problem-solving, and new relationships. When you’re on the same team, beautiful things happen.

However, please know that I realize not every situation is going to end in rainbows and butterflies. If there is a particular conference that you’re worried about, I HIGHLY encourage you to invite the principal, counselor, etc to join in on the conference. Sometimes, just having extra support in the room makes all the difference.

Tip #6 DRESS TO IMPRESS

Because conferences are often held after a full day of teaching, it is so tempting to throw on some leggings, sneakers, and a comfy top in order to get through the day. Tip #6 is a reminder to dress appropriately for the conference. It’s important to keep in mind that you are a professional, and your attire should represent that. Find a way to mix style with comfort for conference days. Maybe you wear a comfy t-shirt dress with cute boots instead of heels. Or maybe you wear a school t-shirt knotted up with a maxi skirt. Remember that your student's parents probably only see you in person a couple of times a year, and this is one of them!

Dress to show them you are a professional and that they can trust you to teach their child. Personally, I always bring a change of clothes as well as some beauty products to freshen up. When you look good, you feel good, and that definitely helps ease the conference nerves!

Tip # 7- TREATS ALWAYS HELP

Although it’s never expected or required, a little treat never hurts! During conferences, I always set out a dish of candy or a treat. Not because I have to, but because sometimes it helps break some of the tension. Students are excited for a treat and honestly, some parents are too! Especially parents who maybe didn’t have the best experience in school when they were younger. A little treat or piece of candy just shows that they are welcomed and appreciated.

BONUS TIP - BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

Last but not least, take a deep breath, smile, and stay positive! Remember, you are a highly educated individual who is there for one main reason; to serve kids. At the end of the day, no matter what, if you can confidently say that you are doing what’s best for kids, then you have nothing to worry about! Throw on that big, beautiful smile, inhale confidence, and exhale self-doubt. When you believe in yourself, you’re halfway there. Words of affirmation go a long way in the teacher world!

Always remember that you are right where you are meant to be! If you need anything at all I am always just a message away. Head on over to Instagram and send me a DM. I’d love to chat!

Let’s Talk Teaching with Kayla Durkin Podcast

How do you feel about teacher podcasts? I’ll admit, I wasn’t super into them at first either. However, once I realized the impact they can make, I was hooked.

Sometimes, the best teacher PD we can receive comes from having conversations with other educators, which is what the Let’s Talk Teaching Podcast is all about!

And guess what, I release a new episode every Friday! Whether you’re driving to school, driving to the gym, or folding some laundry at home, if you’re looking for a new teacher podcast to listen to, this is surely one you do not want to miss!