163. Preparing for Parent Teacher Conferences

Communication is about more than just your words.

Years ago, when I was still working as a teacher, I was preparing for parent–teacher conferences with my mentor, Dana Levy. She was guiding me through a role-play exercise to help me feel more confident in my communication with parents.

When I got to the part of the interaction where I was supposed to express some concerns about the child, Dana stopped me and asked me to step in front of the mirror before starting again.

As I spoke in front of the mirror, I immediately noticed what Dana had observed: As soon as I reached the difficult part of the conversation, my entire body tensed up.

It was like I became an open book, unintentionally revealing my negative emotions through my facial expressions and body language—something that would be sure to make the parents anxious.

And chances are, this happens to some teachers at your center too.

Preparing for parent–teacher conferences is about more than tips or templates—although these resources can be helpful.

It requires practice and a holistic understanding of the parents' perspective so you can communicate both effectively and empathetically.

In this week's podcast episode, I'm sharing a recording of a training session I conducted for leaders within our Director's Inner Circle membership program about how to prepare for parent–teacher conferences.

Join me for a conversation about:

• How to conduct yourself during a parent-teacher conference
• What the parent perspective looks like
• Language to avoid when talking about a child
• How to structure the conference from beginning to end

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/membership/

This episode is a recording from a previous training session with our members. If you like what you hear and want more opportunities to receive guidance and support that can transform your leadership, I encourage you to apply for our Owner's HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll gain access to tools, resources, coaching, and community that will help you as you work toward building a school of excellence.

Managing parent-teacher relationships is a common challenge for leaders. If this is something your team struggles with, I encourage you to inquire about a Leadership Day Intensive. You'll get a full day of on-demand, in-school training with me, plus various accountability check-ins to help you and your team work through existing obstacles and build a stronger, healthier center. https://schoolsofexcellence.com/leadership

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.