The importance of communicating with families is to establish an open line of communication. There are many avenues to communicate to parents/guardians in relation their student's progress such as parent teacher conferences, letters/emails home, and progress folders. I believe that parent teacher conferences are essential to have in order to communicate properly and address any and all concerns. Also, conferences are an excellent way to create strong relationships with parents/guardians. Conferences, if held regularly, can help prevent any surprises on student’s progress.

Prior to my student teaching placement, I sat in on a few parent teacher conferences with other mentors. With each case my mentors had the rapport already established with the parents and the students where the conference went smoothly. My mentor focused on behavior and student progress and presented through AIMS and SBAC scores. My role during the conferences was to give supporting evidence either through my observations or through previous data gathered.

When holding my own conferences, I will make sure to take the appropriate measures to ensure that parents feel welcomed and that their child/children is in a supportive environment. Meaning I will utilize the systems put in place at the school to encourage parent communication along with my own methods.

Overall, I believe that conferences are one of the many ways I will communicate with parents. I think that conferences can set the tone for the school year and should be used in order to help students achieve grade level standards and goals.  

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