Talking with Teachers

3/11/2025

As a teacher, I always approached parent-teacher conferences with a certain amount of trepidation: how was I, in the short span of 10 minutes that I was allotted (and in any given year, I would have been teaching around 120 students, so we had to be pretty ruthless about the timing) going to be able to discuss anything truly insightful with parents about their child’s experience in my class, far less their experience as a whole person?

The answer, of course, is that you can’t, at least not if that is the only conversation that is going to take place between parents and teacher that year.

Over the nearly 85 years that The Roeper School has been around, we have developed an unparalleled expertise in teaching and empowering gifted learners to be active and compassionate citizens of the world. Because of that, we know that the greatest empowerment of gifted children comes through effective collaboration between school and home. While they are our students, they are your children, and it is only when we see them through both lenses that we can get a complete picture of them.

With that in mind, last Wednesday, we invited Gina Parker Collins, Founder of RIISE, Lia DeCicco-Remu, CEO of All Heart Learning, and Cynthia Harris, Roeper Lower School Dean of Students, for a panel conversation with the goal of sharing experiences and strategies to help foster strong, supportive communication between parents and guardians, and their child’s teachers. While a lot of the time we talk about what school and teachers can do—and so we should—there are also things that parents can do to help develop an open and productive relationship with school:¹

Create Meaningful Partnerships 

Be present in the school community when possible. Understand our mission and values and connect with staff and other parents.

Build trust through partnership. Remember that teachers and parents form a team with your child at the center—they are the leader of their learning journey!

Share your insights. You know your child best, while teachers see them in a different environment where they're developing both academically and socially.

Communicate Openly

Approach conversations with kindness and an open mind, assuming positive intentions.

Address concerns directly with teachers first, giving everyone time to prepare.

If you're feeling some negative emotions, take a moment to breathe before the conversation.

Understand that when teachers share challenges, it comes from a desire to support your child's growth.

Give educators the liberty to feel they're in a safe place to share, remembering it is all in service of the child.

Include your child in discussions when appropriate.

And since we’re about to have spring parent-teacher conferences, think about asking questions like the following:

How has my child changed since the beginning of the year?

How is my child growing as a person?

How can I prepare my child this summer for next year?

What summer activities might benefit my child?

I would also encourage you to check out Gina’s podcast, Articulating, Lia’s podcast Teacher Talk, and Lia’s new guidebook for parents, How to Talk to Teachers.

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¹ I am very grateful to Ellen Hoppe, Roeper teacher and co-host of the parent session, for this summary.

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