Let parent meetings be a 'bridge'

As the new school year begins, parents receive invitations to their children’s first-of-year meetings. Naturally, they expect to hear from teachers about the curriculum, teaching methods, and how home and school work together. But in reality, these key points are often overlooked.

A parent meeting at the beginning of the new school year (Illustration photo).

The familiar scenario is that teachers report on the school’s achievements in the previous school year, outline the general direction for the new school year, and then move on to announcing the fees. When it comes to the discussion, parents rarely ask questions related to teaching and learning, but mainly focus on school fees.

There were classes that debated for hours about the contributions, but in the end, the majority agreed to finish so that their children would not be “left out” from their friends. The meeting minutes usually ended with a short line: All parents agreed. Therefore, many people, upon receiving the invitation, blurted out that they already knew the content before attending the meeting, as long as they paid the full amount, it was fine.

This is unfortunate, because the parent-teacher conference at the beginning of the year is very important, especially for first-grade students. This is an opportunity for teachers to meet parents, and for parents to better understand the person who directly teaches and manages their children. If the meeting only revolves around income, the original meaning will be lost.

On the contrary, if organized in the right spirit, the meeting can become a two-way forum where the school shares its goals and educational orientation, while parents express their wishes, concerns and experiences accompanying their children.

To achieve that, first of all, schools need to be open and transparent, only collecting fees that are truly necessary and in accordance with regulations. Second, parents need to change their mindset, not just coming to meetings to "listen to reports" or "pay money", but need to proactively ask questions, discuss learning methods, classroom discipline, life skills, coordination in time management, extra classes, use of social networks...

Third, education management agencies must have a strict monitoring mechanism, strictly handle overcharging, and at the same time provide guidance so that the content of parent meetings is focused.

In addition, parent-teacher conferences should not only be considered a private matter between teachers and parents, but also a responsibility of the whole society in nurturing and educating the younger generation. If families only care about grades, schools only focus on achievements, and managers only care about administrative procedures, it will be difficult for students to develop comprehensively.

A short meeting at the beginning of the year will hardly change everything, but it can open up consensus, build trust, and create a foundation for teachers, students, and parents to share the same goals.

When each party is aware of their role, the parent-teacher conference will truly become a bridge, not only conveying information but also connecting responsibilities and sharing trust. It is not simply a meeting for formalities, but an important first step in the educational journey, where families and schools together take care of the future generations of the country.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/xa-hoi/202509/de-hop-phu-huynh-la-cau-noi-9110778/