Anytime you share information about a child with their parents, always start out by sharing a kind, heartfelt compliment first.  This is especially important when you need to say something that might be hard for parents to hear.  

When a parent knows that you care for their child and believe in them, they are much less likely to get upset when you bring up areas of weakness.  They trust you and will listen to what you have to say.  Give each child a compliment so that parents feel good knowing their child is doing something well. This compliment could be educational, behavioral, a positive character trait, or could be anything you have noticed the student does well.  

Some ideas could include:

• Jack is such a creative thinker!
• Susan gives her best effort every day!
• I can always count on Cody to follow my directions!
• Beth knows all of her multiplication facts all the way up to the 12s!
• I love how Neil is always willing to help his classmates!

If you’re struggling to come up with something positive for a particular student, think of what the rest of your class might say about this child.  Would they say he makes them laugh and is really funny?  Then, “Caleb has a great sense of humor” might be the compliment you’re looking for!

Now that you’ve got a compliment to acknowledge the student’s good attributes, you can share what needs work.  Always remember that report cards reflect how students are doing in their classes.  Even though a report card is probably not the first time you have shared that a student is struggling, it can be difficult for parents to see it in black and white. You can help parents be receptive to any perceived “criticism” by staying positive just as you would if you were meeting in person.  Focusing on the “thing” as opposed to the student can make a big difference in how the words are received. 

Have you ever had your principal or other superior say something about your performance in a negative way? If so, then you know exactly how it feels (and it’s not good!). Parents can often feel personally attacked when receiving “bad news” about their child’s academic abilities or behavior, and that can cause them to become defensive.  Try to keep comments focused on the actual problem and the effects of the problem causes.

For example:

• Abby shouts out in class all the time!– “I love that Abby is so willing to participate in class discussions, but blurting out is distracting and prevents others from being able to share.”
• Hunter never reads at night and really needs to!– “It is very important that Hunter reads 20 minutes each night to help improve his fluency skills.”
• Callie talks too much with friends during class!–  “Callie’s desire to socialize with her friends is causing her to lose focus during instructional time.”
• Jason is not growing in any academic areas!– “I am concerned that Jason is not showing the growth I would have expected at this point in the year.”  

3. Give a “next step” solution  

Once you have shared the problem, give parents an actionable step that shows a plan to fix it!  Parents can feel overwhelmed knowing that there’s a problem.  Giving them a “next step” can show that you are committed to helping them and their child work towards a solution.

This “next step” could be something the student is responsible to work on, a method you try at school, a way parents can help at home, or a plan that you work on together to benefit the student.

Some examples include:

• “Please discuss with Abby the importance of raising her hand before speaking in class.”
• “Feel free to read aloud with Hunter each night for his 20 minutes of reading.”
• “Callie and I have talked about how important listening in class is. Please remind her of this at home as well.”
• “Let’s get together and talk about a plan on how we can help Jason.  Call or message me to let me know dates that you are available to meet.”

If a student is doing well and doesn’t have any areas of weakness, a “next step” could be to address the student directly with acknowledgment of all they are doing: “Sarah, I’m so proud of you! Keep working hard!”  The student and their parents will enjoy seeing that you noticed their efforts. 

Sometimes it’s stressful writing report card comments, especially if you’re in a time crunch!  

If you’re struggling and need a boost to get started, try filling in the blanks of the templates below:

• “I am so proud of (Student’s Name) for (something positive he or she does). He/she is a joy to have in class!  Keep working hard!”

• “(Student’s Name) does a really great job (something positive he or she does). I have noticed that (name a problem the student has). Let’s meet to discuss how we can help your child with this issue.” 

• “I love the way (Student’s Name) (something good he or she does)! I think that if he/she would (something the student needs to stop doing or start doing), it would really help him/her grow in (area of needed improvement). Thank you for your support!” 

Here are 25 quick and easy comments that you can add to any Report Card!

1. (Student Name) is a hard worker and does all that I ask of him/her.
2. (Student Name) perseveres even when tasks are difficult.
3. (Student Name) is a good leader for other students to follow.
4. (Student Name) completes work neatly and on time.
5. (Student Name) works well in partners and groups.
6. (Student Name) participates appropriately in class discussions.
7. (Student Name) is kind to others and well-liked by his/her peers.
8. (Student Name) is making great growth in Reading/Math/Writing etc…
9. (Student Name) has wonderful artistic talent! I love his/her drawings!
10. I appreciate how (Student Name) comes to school each day excited to learn!
11. (Student Name) is so organized and always uses his/her class time wisely.
12. I am so proud of the effort (Student Name) is putting forth to become a better reader!
13. (Student Name) has excellent critical thinking skills.
14. I appreciate how honest and trustworthy (Student Name) is!
15. I love hearing the dramatic way (Student Name) reads aloud!

Needs Work Comments

1. (Student Name) has difficulty staying focused in class.
2. (Student Name) has many missing assignments that have caused his/her grade to drop.
3. (Student Name) often comes to class unprepared.
4. (Student Name) can be very talkative during silent work time.
5. (Student Name) struggles to follow written and/or oral directions.
6. (Student Name) has difficulty completing assignments when given a time limit.
7. I find that (Student Name) seems very tired each morning and struggles to stay awake.
8. (Student Name) often relies on me or other students to help him/her complete his/her work.
9. (Student Name) struggles with working memory and retention of skills.
10. (Student Name) lacks confidence in his/her abilities which keeps him/her from giving her best effort.

I hope that these ideas, examples, and comments help you feel better about writing comments on your own Report Cards.  Over the years, it does seem to get a bit easier with more practice. 

Simply keep in mind that the purpose of Report Card comments is to help students and parents understand the child’s strengths, and areas that need improvement, and give suggestions for how to help them grow.  Providing constructive feedback keeps everyone on the same page as you work together for the benefit of their student.  After all, that’s what it is all about!

Save this post to your favorite Pinterest teaching board so that when Report Card time rolls around, you’ll be ready! 

I know this seems simple, but trust me- don’t skip this one! Having a sign sign-in area is essential for many reasons! First off, it will help you remember which parents belong to each of your students right off the bat. I also like to take this opportunity to gather updated contact info such as emails, cell numbers, and home addresses. You would be surprised how often this info is incorrect at the front office!

 

Also, having a sign-in area will help you keep track of who wasn’t able to make it to back to school night. I always like to reach out to those families and make sure they receive copies of anything I hand out and fill them in on anything they missed. 

At the beginning of the year, our school always distributes lists for requested supplies by grade. Some schools have children maintain their own school supplies while others use a “community” supply stash that all the children share. Either way, you will want to have some kind of system set up for parents to drop these items off during back to school night. 

If you have students keep track of their own individual supplies, I recommend having parents drop these directly into their cubbies or lockers right after they sign in. You can make a little sign directing them to do so. Alternately, if you have community school supplies, set up boxes or bins labeled for each item and have parents sort these out upon arrival. This will save you time and give parents something to do while everyone gets settled. 

Definitely be sure to prepare some kind of simple activity for students to work on and keep busy! You could plan a simple craft for this or provide some practice activities for them to work on while you speak with parents. Some of my favorite activities are color-by-code worksheets and word searches. Both of these activities are great because students can work independently and require very little teacher instruction, making it easy for you to focus on the parents during this time.  And . . . if you need a no-prep option, you can never go wrong with a small tub of playdough at each student’s desk.

Every year, I make a folder for each student that will help families keep track of all the important information they will receive this night. There is a lot of information given and I know parents will enjoy the time to go over the information again, more thoroughly, on their own time.

 

I like to label one side of the folder “Keep at Home” and one side “Return to School”.  Keep at home is usually all the rules and procedures during the school day.  The return to school side will be any programs I would like the parents to sign up for like Xtramath, Remind, or information that needs a permission slip like emergency dismissal procedures or photos posted on the internet permission.

As a nice touch, I always love to add in some kind of cute welcome gift for families. 

This doesn’t have to be anything big, just something that shows families you are excited to work with them this year! In the past, I have given out lots of different things including:

• a small bag of fun-size candy bars with a cute gift tag (be sure to check Pinterest for this one, there are SO many cute and witty tags to download for various types of candy)
• a pen and mini notepad with a personalized note from me (grab these items from the dollar store)
• a bag of microwave popcorn with a note that reads “thanks for popping in” 

I always like to plan a scavenger hunt for families to participate in together for back-to-school night. This is a great way to help students get familiar with the classroom and learn where things are. This is an excellent “icebreaker” activity to start the night off!

Some things I always include in the scavenger hunt in my classroom include: 

• Find where you will make your lunch choice. What will you choose tomorrow?
• Find the classroom rules. Which rule are you already a master at?
• Find the classroom jobs. Which job will be your favorite?

7. Volunteer Information

I always use back-to-school night as an opportunity to provide lots of information about volunteering. Often, it can be really tricky to even find parent volunteers for the classroom, so this is a great time to mention it! I like to write up a little information sheet with all the possible options for volunteering in our school and make sure each parent gets a copy. Also, make sure to let them know if there will be future opportunities, such as field trips, and how they can keep an eye out for those!

Make sure opportunities to sign up are available during the meeting. I usually do NOT add this to the return to school folder because I tend to get more volunteers when I physically see them.  For example, I always know we have Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s Day parties.  So I will have 3 sheets laid out for parents to sign up for whichever, or all, holidays they will be happy to provide items for or set up. I already have my go-to list when the holiday rolls around!

Don’t forget to prepare your own, personal classroom wishlist! Often, the school will be in charge of the school supply requests, but they don’t always match up with the materials that you would like to use in your classroom. If you’re stumped on what to add to your wishlist, I’ve got you covered! 

For this, I like to make sure each parent gets a copy of our classroom wishlist and then also leave a little sign-up sheet out for anyone that wants to commit to specific items that evening. Some things you might not need to include on the signup (if you would like multiples) but for larger, more specific items be sure to make a signup sheet! 

This one will take a little bit of planning ahead, but is always a huge hit among families! 

I like to make magnets for parents to put on the fridge will all of my contact information on them. For this, you can either order custom magnets from a company like Vista Print, or go the DIY route! 

To make these yourself, grab some cardstock and mini magnets. Design a simple postcard-sized image with all the information you would like to include. 

On mine, I always made sure to include my email, the school office phone number, and our classroom Facebook page.  Anything that you want parents to have right at their fingertips is perfect for this magnet.

Next, print out the designs, cut and laminate them and then stick a magnet to the back. Parents will be able to display these on their refrigerator at home to keep your info close!

Don’t forget to save these ideas on your favorite classroom Pinterest board so that you can quickly and easily plan your back to school night next year! 

Ok, ok….you know these students so well.  You know that little Johnny is frequently off-task, has difficulty completing work and distracts your students constantly in the classroom.  YOU of course know all this, but how do you get this across to parents without upsetting them?  

Choose ONE area that you want to focus on during this conference.  This is where I like to use the “Compliment Sandwich.”  You want to start the conference off on the right foot and gain parent trust, if you haven’t already.   

Find two compliments that you can give about the child.  “Sandwich” those two compliments around the area you would like to address with the family.  So the conference would go like this: compliment, something to work on, compliment.  

And just like in Writing 101 in college, your concluding compliment should be something memorable.  Through the entire conference, parents will remember parting words.  It should be positive and something that will help to nurture your relationship with them.  

As a teacher, you want to be viewed as a professional.  There are a few things I do to help build that persona. First, dress appropriately.  Make sure your attire is that of a professional.  I realize we don’t dress like that every day, but when meeting parents for conferences, I feel you should look as a professional would look in an office.  

I also include a sitting area outside my classroom door.  I have chairs for my guests, a candy bowl, and a few items that we have been working on in class.  Parents love to look through children’s work.  

Posted in a viewable location is also my conference schedule.  Sometimes, even with the reminders, mistakes happen or conferences run short or over with siblings.  This way parents are able to see the correct time of their conference, not interrupt other conferences, and can schedule a make-up time if needed in an open slot. 

And finally, when the conference begins, be organized.  You have many students in your class and you did a lot to plan for the meeting. Make sure that you have all your materials in one location and you are not fumbling around for your prep work.  I suggest those organization crates that you can find at Wal-Mart for pretty cheap.

A lot of things creep up on us during the school year.  Do not let parent/teacher conferences be one of them!  It is so important to plan ahead, especially since your time is limited.  

Make sure you have your compliments planned out (this will set the tone of your meeting), academics you want to discuss, and student reflection sheets.  After all, the way the child views school is extremely important in discussing with parents.  Click the picture below for your FREE student reflection sheet.

You should identify academic and behavioral goals for the child, ways that you will work towards these in the classroom and how parents can support these goals at home.  

Planning ahead will help you stay on track during your conference.  There is a lot of information to share and you don’t want to muddy waters with material that isn’t as important. Have a plan, stick to it, and show parents exactly how their child is performing in ways that they will understand – artifacts from their child and data, data, data!

Check out the documents that I use to prep for my parent/teacher conferences below and grab them HERE. Editable versions are available.

I know that this can be difficult to do, but again you are limited on time.  You have concerns, as do the parents.  They will also want their time during the conference and they will want to be heard.  Don’t be caught off guard.  

One way I do this is to send home a pre-conference survey to the parents.  It should be returned a few days before the conference so that you have time to look it over.  This will help you to know what their goals and thoughts are of their child.

A pre-conference form will make sure that your and your parents important information is shared during the meeting.  Everyone will leave happy and hopefully with a plan.  The parent concerns will not hijack your conference when you are prepared for their questions/concerns.  

Let’s face it, you discuss A LOT during conferences and most likely have between 20 and 25 over the course of a few days.  It can really be difficult to remember what was said, suggested, and how to follow up with the details of the conference.  

Take notes!  Lots of notes!  This will help you to remember what was discussed with each parent, how they reacted to the suggestions and what you may need to follow-up with at a later date.

There are a few ways I follow-up. First, I always send a thank-you letter for attending the conference.  Again, this builds relationships and shows parents that you value their time and input.  This can be as simple as a Dojo message or a typed note home.  

Also, a few weeks after the conference I like to follow up with how little Johnny is progressing with their goals and thank the parents for working with them at home on what was discussed at the conference. Once a positive relationship is established, that is when I may work on another “improvement area” in the classroom.  

That’s it!  5 steps for a successful parent/teacher conference!  Did I miss anything?  Do you have a tip that you have found to be successful for you?  Let me know!  I’m always looking for new ideas and ways to improve!