California mom Myoung Kang is very familiar with back-to-school nights as the parent of a high school student and two adult children.
“The only time you will get to meet your child’s teacher is back-to-school night,” says Kang, president of the Parent Teacher Student Association at Cupertino High School, where her daughter Hilary, 17, is a senior.
Teens are more independent: Parents don’t usually volunteer in the classroom when their kids are in high school as they might have in elementary school and students can drive themselves to school as they get older.
[Find out three reasons why high school parents should attend teacher conferences.]
“It’s important that parents go to establish that relationship with teachers,” says Susie Adams, who teaches Advanced Placement U.S. History at Muriel Battle High School in Columbia, Missouri. “It’s good to put a face and a name together.”
But parents of high schoolers should ask about different topics than what they may have inquired about when their children were in elementary or middle school at back-to-school night, including the following.
1. What topics will be covered during the year? Kang likes to get class syllabuses and information on the grading system, and says that lets her know what’s going to be covered and how quickly. It’s helpful to know important dates for planning family events.
“Especially with the Lit class, I like to get a schedule of the books that are going to be discussed,” she says. Usually she’s read the books, but if she hasn’t she will because it gives her something to talk about at dinner with her kids — sometimes tricky with teens.
“When you talk about books with your children it also gives you an insight into their view of the world, which is also interesting,” she says. “I’ve learned a lot about my kids’ personalities and their opinions about the world through talking about books.”
Twitter users suggest parents ask questions about technology and whether courses are the right fit for teens.
@alipannoni @usnews what role will the school and teachers play in personalizing learning for my son/daughter?
— Alan Tenreiro (@AlanTenreiro) September 1, 2016
@alipannoni @usnews how will tech be used to deepen learning?
— Alan Tenreiro (@AlanTenreiro) September 1, 2016
@alipannoni @usnews I have asked “is this class the right fit for my student?” and gotten very honest & helpful responses in return
— Ryan Bowers (@ryanbow) September 1, 2016
2. How do Advanced Placement classes work? Adams says a lot of parents don’t understand the ins and outs of how AP classes work so she encourages them to ask questions about the program.
“I didn’t take any AP classes in high school,” she says, so when her first son was in the class she didn’t know what to expect.
Teachers can explain to parents what AP tests are like, the fees that may be involved and class expectations.
Parents asked about AP classes at one back-to-school night, says one Twitter user.
@alipannoni questions they asked at our BTSN: how much sleep should my child get? How many APs should they take?
— LEAP Loudoun (@LeapLoudoun) September 1, 2016
3. What are the school’s and teachers’ policies? Attendance policies are a little different in high school and credit does matter — if students fail a class they will likely need to take it again — so parents should get a general understanding, says Chris Ming, assistant principal and athletics director at Marine City High School in Michigan.
Parents could also ask about policies regarding makeup tests and missing school for college visits, suggest some Twitter users.
@alipannoni @usnews @USNewsEducation what’s your policy on makeup tests?
— Steve Ulrich (@commish82) September 1, 2016
@alipannoni @usnews what is the school’s policy on excused absences for #college visits?
— Kiersten Murphy (@collegeadvisors) September 1, 2016
@alipannoni @USNewsEducation @usnews how can we work together to make sure my child is successful?
— Polo Perez (@Perezpolojr) September 1, 2016
Kang, the California mom, likes to ask teachers when they are available for outside help, how they handle group projects and the method of communication they prefer.
“With high school, you are going to try to encourage your child to interact with their teacher more,” she says. “The best thing is to just find out about availability and method of communication.”
[Discover three ways high school counselors can help students and parents.]
That way when teens do have a problem parents can steer them in the right direction: to resolve the issue themselves with their teacher.
Have something of interest to share? Send your news to us at highschoolnotes@usnews.com.
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Must-Ask Questions for High School Back-to-School Nights originally appeared on usnews.com
