Understanding the child’s performance via PTA meeting

As a parent once we go for a Parent-teacher meeting, the teacher might have many things to say (both good and bad). We might want to ask few questions about our child as well as it would help us understand his performance in school and also help in understanding the child as a person and  his interests and anxiety (if any).

Certain questions posed will give an overall valuation of child’s academic and social status. Both are important our goal is overall well being of the child and not just academic.

• How is my child doing socially in the class?
• What are his strong and weak points?
• What can we do to help further tackle his issues (if he has any)
• Is he being able to understand what is taught in class?
• Can he keep up with his assignments and homework?
• Is he falling behind in any subject(s) and does he require any extra help with anything
• Is my child organized in class?
• Is he showing special talent or interest in any particular activity?
• Does he bully anyone or is he being bullied?

We wanted to get an insight of what parents particularly emphasize on discussing at a Parents Teacher Meet. Here are some of the parents we asked, and this is what they had to say.

Amrrita Banerjee – A single working mom (to a 4 year old child) from Kolkata says, “As a parent, and also since my daughter is very young, I don’t hype much about her studies and class performance; that is something which, by experience, I know kids pick up at their own pace.

Rusha’s social behavior, her motor skills, her ability to follow instructions, and abide by them, to adjust and cohabit in different situations are something that I prefer to discuss with her mentor because these are the ones which are signals of either any disability or even psychological growth. I don’t even show any concern to her being naughty as that is something which she will be at her age, as long as that doesn’t harm anyone. My main concern has and will always be for her to grow into a social and responsible being, and probably that shall eternally remain my area of discussion in any PTA meet, for, if she’s mentally alert and socially active and adjusting, rest of the things shall automatically fall in place, because “education is what we finally remember after we have left our school”.

Ruposhree Ghatak  – a stay-at-home mom from Durgapur believes that in a PTA, we should be not only focused towards the academic, but other areas as well. She says, “Being a mother of six years old kid, I would like to have the discourse on the following

• Cognitive skills
• Ability to interact
• Ability to take instructions
• Ability Of expression
• Emphasis on understanding instead of memorizing
• Inquisitiveness
• Social skills of the child
• Last but not the least discipline”

Jayanti Subhamaniam is a small business owner in Bangaluru and mom to a 15 year old. She says, “Since kids in high school are already going through a lot of change physically and mentally, they don’t share much with parents. It’s always important that I check with the check teacher about her emotional behavior in class. Of course academic progress is important since by this time kids are doing their own studies and there isn’t much day to day intervention by parents. I also make sure the teacher speaks with me for any emotional distress that s/he would detect in the child”.

Image courtesy – http://blog.classtag.com