Invitation Email

Follow Up Email

Parent Teacher Conference Agenda

Strengths:
On-level reading
Little reading difficulty when focused on the assignment
Enjoys reading nonfiction books
Completely engaged during science
Demonstrates curiosity in science
Recalls basic math facts
Weaknesses:
Disruptive
Behavior is becoming more aggressive
Difficulty getting along with other students
o Grabs, hits, or yells
o Punched or kicked classmates
Fails to follow directions
Blurts out answers and is demanding of attention
Gets frustrated in math and gives up when learning something new
Refuses to cooperate when his behavior is redirected
Refusal to cooperate leads to off-task behavior
Frustration in math leads to outbursts
Unable to effectively communicate when he is upset
Questions:
Who is Goro?

Agenda
Walking in the classroom:
Hello Ms. Raven, I am Ms. Hastings. Thank you so much for coming to
meet with me today. Lets make our way to the classroom so we can
talk about how we can work together to improve Jays success in
school. I am very thankful you were willing to come meet with me
today, because I think it is so important to hear your input on your son.
I know I can only see so much of who your son is, and you know him
best!
Strengths:
Throughout the beginning of this year, I have already been able to see
several things Jay does well and some things he loves. He really enjoys
reading nonfiction books and learning about science. His passion for
these things even comes out in his writing. Here is a writing sample he
wrote that showed how much he enjoys nonfiction texts. (show writing
sample).
Concerns:
While I notice how well he is doing in science, I am worried some of the
other subjects such as math may have things that are negatively
impacting his performance. During the math portion of the day, many
times he gets very frustrated on his work. Is his frustration with math
anything you have been able to notice at home?
Recently, when he becomes frustrated in math, he has begun to act
out in aggression. I dont want him to have such negative feelings
towards math, because I know that it can be a challenging subject. I
think the best way to begin making a break through in math is going to
start with helping Jay control his negative feelings. There have also
been moments throughout the day that Jay has acted in aggression
with the other students as well. Are these emotions anything that you
have noticed at home? Do you have any ideas as to why Jay may be
acting this way? Do you have any suggestions?
I created a behavior management chart that I would love to implement
with Jay. (Explain chart). I also have a journal for Jay every time he
acts with aggression. (Explain behavior journal).
Positives:
I think we will be able to make large improvements with Jays success
in school as we put these behavior plans in place. I think he will really
benefit from thinking through what he is doing and the consequences
of his actions, whether it is positive or negative.

Stop and Think

Name _______________________Date________
What Happened?

I felt

Next time a better choice would be

Student Signature _____________________ Teacher Signature __________________

Parent Signature ______________________

Look What I Can Do! Chart

Name ___________________________ Date______________
When you do something good or handle a situation in a
positive way, color in 2 sections of the snake.

After the snake is completely colored in, you can choose 1 of the 4
rewards!

Free time to draw

the

Extra iPad time

Lunch with Ms. Hastings Time in

reading corner

Parent Evaluation

Reflection
Going into the parent teacher conference was a bit nerve racking
because of the weight that lies on the effectiveness of these conferences.
Before actually having the parent teacher conference, I had to read through
all of Jays information and get to know the student well. While a lot of
material was given, I still found this to be a challenge. You can only know so
much about a person over written material. Without knowing this student
personally, I did not fully feel prepared to discuss the issue with the parent.
Despite my lack of relational knowledge, I intentionally thought through what
I would want to communicate to the parent, and I developed my agenda.
After developing my agenda, I created the resources that I wanted to use
with Jay. When thinking through these resources, I wanted to create
something that could be used by his mother as well. By creating resources
that can be used at home as well as in the classroom, there will be
consistency with the discipline and reinforcement in the different
environments. I wanted to create resources that would show Jay that his
actions were not appropriate, but I wanted these resources to go the next
step and have him think through what happened. By thinking through the
situation, he will be able to learn how to evaluate situations and think before
he acts. The positive reinforcement chart will remind Jay each time he does
something good that whatever he did is something that is positive and
should be done again.

During the conference, conversation went well overall. Through our

time together, I strived to convey to the mother that I believed Jay had
potential improving in all areas that were discussed. Previous progress
reports were shown to give written proof of the digression of Jays academic
and social performance. An example of Jays math work and his nonfiction
science writing were shown to the mother as well. These examples gave the
mother a greater understanding of what was taking place in the classroom.
Showing the progress report to the mother prompted her to share more of
what was going on at home. While I strived to ask the mother a lot of
questions that allowed her to share her thoughts, the evidence of work and
behavior was a great tool to open other conversation without invading her
personal boundaries. Not only did I discuss Jays behavior in the classroom
and academic performance, but I also discussed how the mother and I could
work together on this improvement plan. Without collaboration with the
parent, there may not be consistency in discipline or reinforcements. When
the mother desires to play a part of this and be knowledgeable of what is
taking place at school, she can be an extra support to the improvements that
are being aimed to achieve. Whenever the conference concluded, a follow up
email was sent. I believe follow up emails are crucial to this process, because
it shows the parents how important that meaning was to the teacher.
If I were to have this conference again, I would be more prepared in
knowing about the discipline that had already been implemented and
communication that had taken place between the teacher and the parent.

During my conference, the mother told me she had never been told about
her sons behavior issues, and this is knowledge she would have liked to
know. At first, I was unsure of how to respond to the comment, because I did
not want to step on her toes. I wanted her to know that I desire to keep her
up-to-date about her sons behavior. Another thing I would change about this
parent teacher conference is my response to her disposing information about
her divorce. During the time of feedback, she told me that I was not
compassionate enough towards her. This comment is something that I agree
with, because I was unsure of how much comforting I should give her. I know
that I am not supposed to be my parents counselor, but I also need to let
them know that I care. Next time I would give a few kind words to the parent
about her divorce, and then I would begin discussing Jay and how this
situation affects him.
Overall, I believe I benefited from this experience. I did not receive a
lot of feedback from my parent, but she did make sure to give some
constructive feedback and some positive aspects that I did. I am thankful to
know that I can effectively communicate with parents if I am well prepared to
give them the resources and information they need to fully understand the
situation. Having the opportunity to walk through this process opened my
eyes to the benefits of telling a parent that you believe in their child. Every
child has a story and potential, and this is something that parents need to
know you believe as well.