Teachers and parents want the same thing; they want the
children to do their best in school and to be happy in the
classroom. That's why parents and teachers are natural
allies. Working together, the parents and the teachers can
establish the conditions that will be of most benefit to the child.

After a few weeks in the classroom, the teachers know what
your child can do well and how he or she needs to improve. The
teachers are able to suggest ways to help your child succeed.
Teachers also know that cooperation from the parents can only
enhance the child's chances of educational success. The two
groups establish this complicity in the parent-teacher interview.

Here are a few suggestions to pave the way for cooperation:

s\-Take time to meet with the teacher. Even if everything is
going well, every parent should take a few minutes early in
the school year to meet the teacher. The meeting does not need
to be long. Taking time to meet with the teacher demonstrates
your interest in your child's education and may make future
communications easier.

s‘-Contact the teacher for an appointment. Avoid showing up
after school to see the teacher. Teachers have many obliga-
tions at the end of the school day, so it is better to schedule an
appointment to ensure that the teacher has time to speak with
you. Specify the reason for the meeting when you call. This
will enable the teacher to better prepare for the interview.

Working together

s‘-Contact the teacher before a problem gets out of hand. You
may detect a problem before the teacher does, especially if
your child tells you about it. In a class of 24 or more students,
teachers may take longer to zero in on a problem. The teacher

and child may perceive the problem in different ways. If
you think the problem is significant, talk to the teacher.

s\-Be receptive to the teacher's observations. Sometimes a
student behaves differently at school than at home. The
teacher has no interest in altering the truth. To understand
the problem, both teacher and parent must try to understand
the child. All of this together will help you to develop a plan
to best help the child.

s‘cPrepare a written plan. If the parent and teacher feel that
steps must be taken to help the child, develop a plan of
action and put it down on paper. A written plan is easy
to review as often as necessary and can be used to
monitor progress.

Several parents have told me that they are worried or
nervous before the parent-teacher interview. I would
also like to point out that teachers have expressed this
same fear. Despite this, 99% of all parent-teacher inter-
views are productive-it's in everyone's best interest!

Pierre Blouin President
BC Francophone Teachers Association

Jérémie Bergeron

Récipiendaire de la Médaille académique de la gouverneure générale pour un étudiant
du Programme francophone de Prince George
Winner of the Governor General's Academic Medal for a Student
in the Prince George Francophone Program

Le programme francophone de Prince
George se distingue par une performance
extraordinaire d'un de ses finissants, Jérémie
Bergeron. Ce prix est accordé a un étudiant
ou une étudiante dont les succés scolaires
ont été exceptionnels. La Médaille
académique est la récompense la plus
prestigieuse que puisse recevoir un éléve
fréquentant une maison d'enseignement

canadienne. Pierre Trudeau I'a regue. Tommy
Douglas, Kim Campbell, Robert Bourassa
et Robert Stanfield également, ainsi que
l’écrivaine Gabrielle Roy. Il y a plus de 50
000 personnes, y compris la Gouverneure
générale actuelle, Adrienne Clarkson, qui
ont recu la Médaille académique du
Gouverneur général, prélude a de
nombreuses et grandes réalisations.

The Prince George francophone has
been recognized for the outstanding
performance of one of its graduates,
Jérémie Bergeron. This prize is
awarded to a student having excep-
tional scholastic success. The Medal
is the highest award given to a student
ofa Canadian school. Pierre Trudeau
won it. So did Tommy Douglas,
Kim Campbell, Robert Bourassa

Félicitations ! Congratulations !

and Robert Stanfield. And it's not
only politicians-Gabrielle Roy also
won it. More than 50,000 people,
including our current Governor
General, Adrienne Clarkson, have
received the Governor General's
Academic Medal, as the start of
many great accomplishments.

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