When attending parent-teacher conferences, it’s common to arrive with questions about your child’s progress. However, some teachers may avoid giving direct answers or seem hesitant to compare your child’s performance with their peers. Here are some honest answers to common questions.
If you ask about your child’s performance in relation to their classmates, teachers may feel uneasy. Comparing one child to others rather than focusing on individual progress can seem like a disservice to the entire class that teachers care for. Measuring one’s progress by comparing them to a group can also highlight the differences between children rather than the similarities. Instead of asking if your child is doing better than someone else, consider asking the teacher if they are meeting expectations at their current level. Teachers are often happy to discuss where your child’s progress falls in relation to their peers or age group and how appropriate action can be taken.
If you’re looking for bragging rights on social media, a teacher probably won’t provide you with statistics to show off. In fact, they might not even try to hide their disdain for such requests. By focusing on the individual progress of your child, rather than comparing them to others, you can develop a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. Teachers strive to provide personal attention to each student, but that can be challenging with hundreds of students to keep track of.
School reports can often feel standardized and devoid of personal details about your child. This is partly because of the pressure from education authorities to present data that parents supposedly care about, such as test results. Additionally, teachers may not have as much time to develop personal relationships with each student due to the large number of students they teach. It can be difficult to go beyond standard language based on assessment outcomes. While teachers strive to provide a personal touch in their reports and interactions with students, it may take time to get to know each student.
Levels are often used in education to indicate a student’s progress at specific points in their schooling. The intention was that by the end of primary school, most children should reach level 4, and by the end of year 9, most would achieve level 5. These levels were supposed to give a general idea of student progress, based on teacher evaluations of their work over the previous year, not as a method for measuring individual pieces of work or creating a linear progression. Due to demands for numbers on spreadsheets, levels have been misused, leading to inflated targets and sub-levels that don’t exist in most subjects. The abolition of levels has left schools to create their own assessment systems, which can create confusion and inconsistency. While levels may have been flawed, they provided more clarity than the current system.
This isn’t just a throwaway comment. Participating actively in discussion can be an important learning tool, and it’s important for me to encourage every student to participate. If your child is struggling with this, please let me know so that we can work together to build confidence and help him feel comfortable expressing his thoughts and ideas in the classroom.
1. "He needs to take ownership of his learning."
It’s with regret that I must inform you that your child seems to be lacking motivation. Perhaps he’s become too accustomed to having everything done for him at home. However, if he can’t learn to think for himself, he’ll struggle when he transitions to secondary school. It’s essential that he learns responsibility quickly and starting with a few household chores could be an effective way to encourage this behavior at home.
2. "His written work is not consistently good."
Your child’s arts course requires more than artistic talent. He must also dedicate himself to learning the theory behind the tasks, as written assignments carry just as much weight in his final grade. Without taking this aspect seriously, he could miss out on a university placement and lose it to someone who does. It would be very helpful if you reinforced this message to him on a regular basis.
3. "This subject isn’t his forte."
Let’s be frank – your child is likely to fail if he doesn’t start making an effort. While we can explore various interventions or extra revision strategies, it’s important for you to limit his video game time. Establishing a structured work/play schedule, which you could put up on the fridge before exams, would be a big step in the right direction.
4. "How do you feel you’re doing? Give me an update."
I apologize, but I’ve been sitting in this chair for quite some time, and I’m afraid I can’t continue.