1. Talk with your child. Talking early and often with your children helps them trust you as a source of information and guidance.
2. Set high but realistic expectations. Paying attention to your children's strengths, while acknowledging where they need assistance can help children develop realistic self-expectations.
3. Build your child's self-esteem and confidence. Encourage your children to make choices even if it means making mistakes. This is how children learn and grow.
4. Keep your child healthy. Promote your children's physical, emotional, and social health.
5. Support learning at home. Show that education is important to you and that you value learning.
6. Communicate with your child's school. Communicate on a regular basis with the school to stay informed and involved.
7. Encourage exploration and discovery. By encouraging your children to develop their interests and seek opportunities to try new things you help them make the most of the world around them.
8. Help your child develop good relationships. All children want to fit in and belong. Helping your children develop friendships that affirm them will go a long way to helping them build solid relationships as adults.
9. Keep your child safe. Teach your children safety procedures and how to avoid dangerous situations.
10. Participate in community service. Children's positive energy and talents can be acknowledged beyond the classroom when used to serve or help others.

From How to Help Your Child Succeed, a part of National PTA's Building Successful Partnerships program. How to Help Your Child Succeed is available as a two-part workshop in which participants learn more about the 10 ways and how to put them into practice. To find out how to bring a workshop to your community and for more information on this program, contact Utah PTA or visit the How to Help Your Child Succeed area on the National PTA website.

When the time comes for parent-teacher conference, some parents may wonder what they should talk about, and other parents might even skip the meeting altogether because they're nervous about the encounter. With the right preparation, though, parents will not only eliminate some of their apprehensions, they'll likely get more out of the conference and gain a better understanding of what they can do to help their child succeed.

Initially, during the meeting, parents will want to establish rapport with the teacher. This will lay a foundation that will help parents and teachers work out any problems that may arise.

Since the teacher has limited time, parents should plan on covering only a few topics during the conference. Here are some questions parents may consider asking about their child.

• What is my child like during the day? Does he or she participate in class discussions/activities?
• What are my child's best/worst subjects? How can I help him or her improve in the areas that need work?
• What are the standards for my child's grade level?
• How does my child interact with other children and adults?
• How much help should I provide on homework assignments?
• Is my child in different classes or groups for different subjects? How are these groups determined?
• How is student progress measured? Are students assessed through tests? Portfolios? Class participation? Projects?
• Is my child trying as hard as he or she can?

After the conference, consider thanking the teacher with a note or a telephone call. This simple gesture will help establish an ongoing relationship with the teacher. Keeping in touch with the teacher, even if things are going well, will undoubtedly benefit a child's school experience.

Taken from Our Children, October 2001, National PTA Publication.