Questions to ask about your child’s report card

Questions you need to ask teachers about your child’s report card

As term two comes to an end and term three begins, some Brisbane parents may be opening up their letterbox to a few surprises!

Report cards will soon be arriving (if they haven’t already), and Co-Founder of  Fruition Tuition, Sherrin Gugenberger, sees a lot of instances where parents’ instincts and their child’s report cards don’t match. Her advice for parents is to always trust their instincts! Sherrin says parents are the ones who see their child grow and develop, and understand how they respond to homework and projects.

A key way she suggests parents manage these expectations is to talk and communicate with their child’s teacher.

Her Top 10 questions to ask teachers are:

• Does my child participate and listen well in class?
• Do you believe my child is fulfilling his/her potential? (This will tease out if the teacher has pre-conceived ideas about what is possible for the learner)
• How was my child assessed? (It is common for many students to struggle in exams situations because of stress)
• If the child was assessed through exams/projects, was the teacher surprised by these results?
• Does my child submit all homework on time and are answers reviewed in class ?
• Does my child struggle with the current work, or are their gaps from previous years making the work difficult?
• What is my child’s preferred learning style?
• Where does my child sit in the classroom? (Front, middle or back?)
• Have you recently noticed any specific changes in attitude or behaviour?
• If this was your child, how would you support them?

It is also important to take into consideration the child’s feelings. Sherrin recommends asking your child if they did the best they could and if they are disappointed with the results. Her key advice to every family is to focus on a solution for the term ahead, not the grade for the term just gone.

Based in Queensland and Victoria, Fruition Tuition works to build learners’ confidence and independence through understanding and success.

Sherrin has been an educator for more than 30 years and is the author of ‘You Are Not Raising Children…You Are Raising Adults’.

For more information on Fruition Tuition visit www.fruition.com.au.