Ellen DeWitt

Parent Teacher Conferences

Invitation Email:
Dear Mrs. Raven,
As the first term comes to a close, our first parent-teacher conferences are here. I am
looking forward to meeting with you tomorrow, April 28, at 9:00 am regarding your son,
Jay.
This has been a difficult first nine weeks for Jay behaviorally and I think the best way to
go about finding a solution is to speak with you. I also want to address any concerns or
questions you might have for me. I am looking forward to meeting with you tomorrow
morning to discuss further.
Thanks,
Ms. DeWitt
Follow-Up Email:
Dear Mrs. Raven,
Thank you for attending our recent parent-teacher conference regarding Jay. I
appreciate your taking the time to meet with me, and I hope that our conference was
able to provide you with some valuable insight into Jay's progress in school. I am glad I
got to speak with you about Jay's progress academically and behaviorally. I truly believe
the behavior plan we discussed will render positive effects for Jay. I am confident that we
can work together to help Jay reach his full potential.
If you have any more questions or concerns regarding Jay or my classroom, please do
not hesitate to contact me.
Thanks again,
Mrs. DeWitt

Agenda:
Intro
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today
Strengths
Good student
When he does receive direct instruction from me, he has few
behavioral difficulties
Enjoys science and reading nonfiction books
Curious
Strong reading skills
Loves working on the iPads
Math concepts do progress
Recalls basic math facts
Weaknesses
Behavior concerns are increasing: gotten worse during the year
Controlling his anger
Getting along with other students
Out bursting to avoid doing work
Blurts out answers in class
Demands attention
Difficulty learning something new
Gives up when learning something new
Refuses to cooperate
Unable to complete assignments in math
Difficulties occur when he is expected to work with a
cooperative group or independently (when supervision is
minimal)- Does he have siblings at home?
Hitting, taking materials from others, kicking 6x per day
Cannot communicate when he is upset
Students isolate him
First grade notes----got worse----something happen at home?
Worried his behavior is beginning to interfere with his
academic development
Negative attitude
Plan

of Action:
Individualized behavior plan
Positive reinforcement card on desk
Calendar sent home every night
Give Mrs. Raven research articles on positive reinforcement

Resources Used:
Perdue University Positive Reinforcement Article:
https://www.extension.purdue.edu/providerparent/PDF
%20Links/PositiveReinfRewards.pdf
Positive Reinforcement Article:
http://www.superduperinc.com/handouts/pdf/238_PositiveReinforcemen
t.pdf
Behavior Calendar:

Positive Reinforcement for Desk:

Feedback from Ms. Mathis

The biggest thing I learned from the mock parent-teacher

conferences is that communication is key and to never assume
anything. We had no idea that Jays parents had recently been through
a divorce. I think most of us, and I know I definitely did, assumed that
Jay was acting out both at school and at home. However, Mrs. Raven
was shocked because she said Jay acted completely normal at home.
This was the biggest shock for me. Parent-teacher communication is so
important because the teacher might have no idea about certain
circumstances going on outside of school that might be affecting the
childs academic or behavior performance. Parent-teacher
communicate establishes the foundation for all forms of parent
involvement in education. It is important that the parents know that
the teacher wants what is best for the child. Parent involvement will
help the success, academically and behaviorally, of the student.
Before the conference, I emailed Mrs. Raven inviting her to
attend and scheduling the conference and studied Jay. I let her know
a general idea of what would be discussed but kept it in a positive
tone. I decided to focus on Jays behavior during the conference. I
developed a behavior plan for Jay that focused on positive
reinforcement. I also found a behavior calendar that would be sent
home nightly for Mrs. Raven to sign. I printed out some articles (above)
about positive reinforcement to give to Mrs. Raven. During the
conference, I focused on behavior and showed Mrs. Raven some

examples of her sons work. We discussed the behavior plan after Mrs.
Raven explained their family situation. After the conference, I met with
Mrs. Raven and followed up with an email thanking her for coming the
next day.
Mrs. Mathis main thing she suggested was that I had discussed
both academic and behavior. She was surprised that she had to ask me
to touch more on academics. I dont know if she knew that we were
supposed to focus on one of the two. She also told me to word a few
things differently rather than labeling Jay. This is what I would have
done differently. Overall, the parent-teacher conference went well. Ms.
Mathis said I gave good resources and liked that I showed examples of
student work.