Parents expect a lot from their child, sometimes even too much. Almost all parents hope that their child will end up in pre-university education. This is just not realistic. Through conversations, parents gain a realistic picture of their child. Not only in terms of school grades, but also how it develops socially and physically. Discussions are also held about which parents want to go on the school trip, who wants to do the lice check or when a child can celebrate his birthday in class.
- The different types of conversations
- Introductory meetings
- The pre-planned conversations
- Conversations initiated by the parents and/or teacher
The different types of conversations
The conversations that are held with parents in a school are divided into three main groups: Introductory conversations, pre- planned conversations and conversations initiated by the teacher and/or parent.
Introductory meetings
First introduction to group 1
Before parents register their child at a school, there are introductory meetings. In these conversations, the vision of the school is discussed and the director wants to convince parents why they should register their child at this school. He explains what facilities the school has and how the child is supported up to group 8 and he shows the CITO scores. Not only the school is discussed, but the child is also discussed. Any allergies and diseases the child has already had are discussed. What the child likes to do is also highlighted. The parents are given a tour of the school and watch what the students are doing in class.
Introductory meeting with teacher
There is a different teacher in each class. Prior to the start of the year, there are discussions with the parents together with the teacher. The learning objectives for that year are discussed and information about the student that is relevant to this teacher is shared.
The pre-planned conversations
Ten minute conversations
The student’s development is discussed in ten-minute conversations. Parents sometimes have a completely different image of their child than the teacher. The teacher prepares this conversation well. The results from the student monitoring system are studied and discussed. These results provide parents with good insight into whether their expectations are realistic compared to reality. Not only the results are discussed, but also how social-emotional and motor development progresses. Ten minutes is very short, but a lot can be discussed in that short period of time, if properly prepared. Sometimes there is a student in a class with a problem that cannot be discussed in ten minutes. A follow-up appointment can then be made.
Committee discussions
A teacher cannot arrange everything alone. Parents are asked for help for some events and activities. For example, the teacher often wants extra help from parents during, for example, a school trip, checking for lice, decorating the school prior to Sinterklaas and Christmas and for guidance during the King’s Games. To arrange this, there will sometimes be committee discussions. During these conversations, a script is drawn up and the tasks are divided among the members of this committee group.
The participation council
Every school is required to have a participation council. The school board, teachers and parents are present during consultations with the MR . A number of teachers are members of the MR on behalf of the school, the members are elected on behalf of the parents. If there are not enough registrations, this is not necessary. For example, the budget, new rules and any major expenditure are discussed in the MR. The MR has an advisory function. The school board is therefore not obliged to follow the wishes of the MR.
Parent evenings
There are two types of evenings, group parent evenings and school parent evenings.
The group parent evenings
Group evenings are mainly intended to see in detail what the children are doing at school. For example, the teacher has made a video about a working moment and provides text and explanation. This offers parents an opportunity to know whether their expectations about their child in the classroom and the school are correct. A group parent evening is often linked to a theme such as language, Sinterklaas or summer. Any parental tasks for the coming period are also discussed and divided.
School parent evenings
An example of organizing a school parent evening is: there are many questions from parents about how arithmetic is offered in the lower grades. A school parent evening is then organized in the lower grades. This provides parents with information and the opportunity to ask questions. Parents are often interested in information about their own child. A parents’ evening about the results of a study into how well the management is doing its job will attract fewer parents than text and explanation about how students in the lower grades do arithmetic.
Conversations initiated by the parents and/or teacher
Conversations do not always have to be planned well in advance. They can also be arranged a day in advance on the initiative of parents or the teacher. If these types of conversations are requested, results must often be achieved in the short term.
Discussions initiated by the teacher
If the teacher is concerned about a student, a request is made by telephone, email or on the school playground for a meeting with the parents. This could be about the student, the teacher or the parents themselves. For example, a conversation might be about the student suddenly having bad grades, the teacher having to explain a choice that the parents do not agree with, or the teacher having heard from a child that his parents often argue with the child.
Discussions initiated by the parents
Parents can also have problems sometimes. It is important to always inform the teacher if there is something going on that the teacher should be aware of. Parents often enter the classroom before school to tell the teacher. Very inconvenient only when 20 students enter the class. An appointment is often made for when this conversation can take place.