Facilitative Conferences: Parents and Teachers Working Together

Abstract

arents are people, too! Why then do teachers frequently dread the prospect of meeting with parents? The answer lies largely in the fact that most teachers have been well prepared to work with children, but for the most part, they have received little instruction in how to work collaboratively with adults. According to Lazar and Slostad (1999), this omission constitutes a serious flaw in teacher education programs. Indeed, they assert that there is no other area in which teachers are less prepared to handle their responsibilities. MacDonald (1991) contends that many teachers never develop the skills needed for productive meetings with parents, particularly when sensitive areas need to be discussed. For beginning teachers especially, learning to engage in successful dialogue with parents can be a challenge that involves uncertainty and considerable anxiety (Clark 1999; Partin 1999). Even experienced teachers may feel threatened when their authority is questioned (Joseph and Burnaford 1994). Although it is important to recognize that conferences frequently raise the anxiety level for teachers, it is equally important to recognize that parents may also feel concerned (Fielstein and Phelps 2001). Such feelings of trepidation ought not to be and, indeed, do not have to be, part of teacher-parent conversations. Three basic assumptions and some simple suggestions, when translated into practice, can go a long way toward eradicating the negativity about conferences that tends to plague parents and teachers. After conducting interviews with 1,823 educators in 29 states, Nathan and Radcliff (1994) concluded that teachers are aware of the importance of improving their skills so that they may work with families in a more effective manner. More than half felt that conducting productive conferences was an area of great significance. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to propose some preventive and problem-solving approaches that teachers may find helpful as they seek to build stronger alliances with the home. When consistently practiced, the strategies offered will add a more facilitative dimension to parent-teacher conferences and in the process will contribute to less tense and more comfortable working relationships for everyone.