By: Karyn Kayes, Ed.S., Educational Consultant, Clarity Psychological Services
Now that the 2025 school year is well underway, the fall brings about many questions for parents/caregivers navigating a new school year, new state standards, new curriculum and a new teacher. The following question-asking tips invite a more robust conversation with your child’s elementary school teacher and will bring benefits now and throughout the year.
Foster Deeper Conversations: Parent-teacher conferences, while a start, often lack depth, are brief and often occur only once, maybe twice, a year. Consider asking open-ended questions about your child's participation in the fall, winter and spring.
- How is my child's social and emotional development in the classroom? What are some ways I can support them at home in this area?
- When it comes to the five components of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension), what are my child's biggest strengths and what areas need the most focus?
- How is my child’s number sense, such as understanding quantities, counting, estimation, algebraic thinking, and math vocabulary?
- Is my child participating in class and working well with others during group activities?
- What are some key learning milestones you hope to see my child achieve by the end of the school year?
Support Learning at Home: Inquire about methods for reinforcing skills at home and gather information about expectations for your child’s work at home.
- How much time do you anticipate that daily homework will take, in addition to other projects that need to be completed outside of school hours?
- Are there specific content areas that you recommend reinforcing at home to support subjects taught in class?
- What specific activities or games can we engage in at home to strengthen classroom learning?
- If my child is having a difficult time with homework, what are your recommendations?
Establish Open Communication: Building a strong relationship with the teacher, understanding key learning milestones, and knowing the best way to communicate about progress and concerns are vital during a child's educational journey.
- What is the best way for me to communicate with you about my child's progress or any concerns I may have?
- What are some things that I can do to best support you as the teacher this year?
- Say, “Here is my contact information (phone, email); I have the most flexibility for a phone call at X time; and/or I am usually able to respond to email within 24-hours.”
- Say, “Please feel free to reach out when you need assistance and when my child is worthy of praise.”
If the suggestions above do not seem to be working, or if you need support in giving and receiving information from your child's teacher or school, we are happy to step in and help. Email us at: info@claritypsychological.com
Wishing you a collaborative and successful school year!