Preparing for PTA meetings - Articles about Education

You can observe a lot
just by watching
- Yogi Berra

What is the best way to prepare for the real test of a teacher's career - the PTA meeting?

Begin your work at least 2-3 weeks before the parents are due to arrive

Prepare a page outlining the activities and lessons that you taught since the previous meeting

Write your name and class on top of the page

Limit your description to a single page for each class

Present the general, overall plan for that class

Give examples of specific issues that were studied

Present each topic in a positive light

Contrast the children's knowledge before your lessons with their abilities as of the date of the meeting

You may want to contrast the students' progress with that of unnamed schools in which progress has been less favorable

Do not write anything negative about any local class, teacher, or location

If possible, you may want to contrast your progress with national summaries or indexes, or with data from other countries

Check your final typed document for proper grammar, syntax, and spelling

Ask another person to confirm that the page layout is attractive

Pages for parents of younger children should be illustrated, as with any other handout

Photocopy the page

Consider the possibility of photocopying a particularly good page that was used in class, a drawing by some students, or a document representing a cooperative classroom venture. Anything that looks impressive might be appropriate. This page will be shown to the parents as appropriate, but they will not take home a copy.

Do you teach more than one class in that school? If so, make a separate handout for each class.

Your description is likely to omit information that was taught during the days after the pages were prepared. Don't worry about it. It is more important to relax, knowing that the pages are prepared in advance and available for you when you need them.

You are now prepared for last minute issues that should be handled right before the meeting.