Do you have a concern you need to discuss with your child’s teacher?
Find out how to effectively communicate with your child’s teacher to build a team of support for your child.
Here’s how to email your child’s teacher requesting a parent conference. Include the following:
- Warm Opening
- Briefly share your concern with facts
- Request a conference in person, via zoom, or over the phone
- Include your availability
- Closing with thanks and kindness
Email Template for Requesting a Parent Conference with Your Child’s Teacher
Here’s a convenient copy/paste template you can personalize and use right now to effectively request a parent conference with your child’s teacher.
Subject – Meeting to Support (Child’s Name)
Dear Mr./Ms. (Teacher’s Name),
I hope you are having a good start to your week. (Child’s Name) has truly been enjoying the social studies project. Thank you for making each project so creative and fun, we truly appreciate it.
We have a concern for (Child’s Name) that we wanted to share and see how we can best work together to support him. (Child’s Name) has been sharing at home that he does not want to go to school. When we talk with him about it, (Name) lists a variety of things that upset, concern, and scare him at school. (Child’s Name) loves learning and previously enjoyed going to school very much, so this is a change that we want to address.
We are hoping to set up a conference, zoom meeting, or phone call to make a plan together. Our availability is listed below and if there are more convenient times for you, please let us know.
If there are other staff members that may be a good resource for (Child’s Name), such as the school counselor, we look forward to them joining the meeting or connecting with them soon.
Availability:
- Monday, November 12th from 12:00 – 3:00
- Tuesday, November 13th from 9:00 – 2:00
- Thursday, November 15th from 9:00 – 3:00
- Friday, November 16th from 10:00 – 1:00
We can’t thank you enough for being such an approachable and supportive teacher for (Child’s Name).
We look forward to meeting with you, hearing your thoughts, and finding a way to help and support (Child’s Name). If there is anything we can do on our end before we meet, please just let us know.
Thank you so very much.
Parents/Guardians
(Add your cell phone number/contact information here)
What to Do Before Writing Your Email Requesting a Parent Conference
Take a breath
Before you email your child’s teacher with your concern, take a deep breath.
When you have a concern with your child, it can be overwhelming. Helping build a team with your child’s school is a top priority, especially when you have a concern.
Your first step is to hone in on the goal of your email. When you have a concern, it is best to meet with your child’s teacher or school team in person, over zoom, or at least over the phone.
Read the parent handbook
Referencing your school’s parent handbook, website, and resources before sending your email is an important step.
The parent handbook will often give procedures for addressing a variety of concerns including who to contact and how.
What to Include in Your Email Requesting a Parent Conference
Determine which staff members can address your concern and support your child
Consider the teachers or staff that may be able to support your child with your concern.
If your child is in middle or high school, you may be emailing a teacher from a particular class, the school counselor, an advisor, or a team leader.
Take the time to find out which teacher or staff member is best to address your concern and support your child. Other teachers and staff may also need to become aware of your concern to support your child.
Include collaborative, team-building openers and closers
An easy format for most emails to your child’s school is the sandwich. The opening and closing of your email is the bread of the sandwich.
These should be collaborative, appreciative openers and closers using language to build a team of people caring for your child.
State your concern
Give the teacher and/or staff a brief overview of the concern in your email. This will help them prepare for the conference and make your time together more productive.
A request for a conference without an explanation of the concern can leave a teacher anxious and wondering. Open communication before the conference forms a trusting relationship and helps foster the team needed between you and your child’s teacher.
When crafting your email, remember that your goal is to build a team of support around your child at school.
When expressing your concern be honest and state the true problem using facts and avoid opinions in email. This can be a good time to share what your child said or shared with you, but realize your child is sharing their own experience and there may be additional information to gather when you speak with the school.
Add your availability
Adding your availability to your first email is a helpful step to allow your teaching team to respond quickly and move forward with a conference as soon as possible.
Ideally, you are able to provide times that you believe may work well for the school or a wide variety of times.
When offering your availability, ask if there are more convenient times for the teaching team. Initiating your communication in a supportive and non-confrontational manner will help build a team feel.
Sleep on it and edit your email
When emailing your child’s school about a sensitive topic, it is almost always best to sleep on it.
Draft your email and reread your draft in the morning. If possible, have another adult read your email and offer feedback. Rereading your email may allow you to remove emotional language and soften your tone if needed.
What to Do After Sending Your Email Requesting a Parent Conference
Take notes in preparation for parent conference
After you send your email and begin to plan your meeting with the school, take the time to think through what you wish to say and bring notes with you.
Keep in mind a general rule, teachers want to help children succeed and almost all teachers are doing their best to help every child. Giving each staff member the benefit of the doubt can help both you and your child.
Separate your emotions and your child’s needs
Do your best to separate your needs from your child’s. It can be emotionally overwhelming when you feel something is going on with your child.
There may be things you need as a parent to feel better, which is ok. You can help your child most effectively by focusing your school team’s effort on how to improve your child’s situation specifically and not putting significant energy into your own needs.
Determine when and how to assess progress
At the end of your conference, be sure that you and the team walk away with action steps on how to support your child.
Have a plan of how and when you will follow-up with the team to see if the strategies are working.
Consider if other staff members at the school need to become aware of the concern to help support your child.
Show appreciation and thanks to your teacher and school staff early and often
Thanking the school team for working directly to support your child goes a long way.
Your thanks could be a thoughtful email, card, or small gift. Showing your appreciation is another way to build a team of support around your wonderful child.
Reminders and Tips when Emailing Your Child’s Teacher to Request a Parent Conference
- Check the parent handbook for procedures
- Determine which staff members to email and conference with
- State your concern
- Add your availability
- Sleep on it and edit the email
- Take notes to prepare for parent conference
- Separate your emotions and your child’s needs
- Give thanks and follow-up
With these tips and guidelines, you can feel confident and support your child by knowing exactly how to email your child’s teacher requesting a parent conference.
If you would like to read more about how to communicate with your child’s teacher, check out our article on how to email your child’s teacher about an absence below!
