-by Mimi Rothschild

There are countless differences between traditional school and home school, many of which we as home educators feel blessed not to have to participate in. However, one difference which can actually prove to be quite beneficial to the home school family is the parent/teacher conference.

It might sound somewhat silly to suggest such a thing, since we are both parent and teacher to our children. But as with anything else in the world of home school, a slight variation of a traditional idea can be implemented to fit our unique circumstances. Perhaps instead we should call the concept parent/teacher/student conferences.

There is value in feedback. After all, do we as Christians not continuously seek feedback from our Heavenly Father? We read His Word, we pray, we seek His counsel. This theory can be also applied to the home school household in several ways.

Most home education is facilitated by one parent, while the other parent works outside the home to provide financially for the family. For the parent who is home teaching, it is often easy to forget to keep her spouse in the loop on what is happening while they are at work all day. Here is where the parent/teacher portion of the meeting comes into play.

Schedule a time to meet, perhaps once a week or once a month, to sit down together. Do so alone, when the children are occupied or visiting with friends. Discuss the lesson plans you are currently covering, the progress of each child, and provide some examples of recent work that your children have completed. It’s beneficial for the teaching parent to receive support and feedback from her spouse, and likewise it’s important that the parent who works outside the home be abreast of the progress of his children. This is also an excellent time to discuss any issues or challenges that the children are facing, and brainstorm ideas on how to address them. And it’s always a blessing for spouses to fellowship with each other.

Next set up some time, probably less frequently, to sit your students down and talk about their progress. Give them positive feedback and constructive criticism, and help them to see their strengths as well as areas that could use a bit more attention and work. Holding these meetings with the working parent present is also a wonderful way to present a united front to the children, which is invaluable in child rearing.

Finally, remember to spend some one on one time with each student from time to time. Talk about your feelings on their effort and improvement, and let them know areas that you would like them to continue working on. Children thrive on individual attention, so use this to your benefit. And don’t forget to ask them for some feedback on you as well. Remember, we can’t grow and improve if we do not know where our weaknesses lie.

Meeting together in the role of parent/teacher/children keeps the channels of communication open, which will inevitably benefit everyone involved.

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Mimi Rothschild is the Founder of LearningByGrace.org the nation’s leading provider of online PreK-12 online Christian educational programs for homeschoolers.