With parent-teacher conferences on the horizon, you may be gearing up for another long evening of sitting in your art room with few visitors. Sure, you’ll get a lot of work done, but that’s not really the purpose of conferences, is it?
One year, I decided to conduct a little experiment to see if I could change this repeating pattern. Instead of staying in my room, I set up a table at the front of the school with a sign that had my name and “art teacher” written underneath. I had some promotional materials to hand out and some sample work from each grade level to use to talk about the concepts covered in the art program.
The results? Many parents were so happy to talk with me! I enjoyed meeting these parents that probably wouldn’t have taken the time to stop by my room. It was a huge success. Although, the P.E. teacher said I set the bar too high!
Another year, I made picking up artwork a part of conferences. I put a note in each classroom reminding parents to stop by. Most parents were motivated to see their children’s work and made time to come and see me.
Think about what tactics you can use this year to increase parent engagement during conference time. After all, it’s one of the best chances to advocate for your program and get families excited about art!
Here are a few resources from our archives to get you started!
- Making Student-Led Conferences Work in the Art Room
- Strategies to Handle Difficult Parents
- 5 Ways to Connect with Parents at Conferences
- Make Talking With Parents A Breeze With Table Displays
Do you get many visitors during conferences?
Do you stay in your room or head to a more central location?
Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.
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