If you are divorced and have to attend your first parent-teacher conference since your separation, it can be a bit awkward if you and your ex are still uncomfortable around one another or you aren’t on speaking terms. Staying up to date with your child’s academic progress is a critical part of their overall development, which is why you need to decide if you should attend the conference together or separately.
Children deal with divorce in many different ways. Some children act out or stop participating at school because they don’t know how to verbally express their feelings about their parent’s divorce. This is why you should let the teacher know about your situation so they can gauge your child’s behavior and academic performance.
The purpose of a parent-teacher conference is to talk about your child’s performance in school. If you don’t tell the teacher about your divorce, the conference will end up being spent talking about the issues surrounding you and the other parent. If you do end up talking about the other parent, do your best to avoid specifics and do not cause unnecessary damage to the relationship between the teacher and your ex.
Although you and your ex are divorced, you both need to know what is going on in your child’s school life. If you don’t want to meet with the teacher together, you should try these alternatives:
- Schedule separate parent-teacher conferences
- Email your questions and concerns to the teacher before the conference
- Ask the teacher to call the other parent after the conference is over
- Take notes at the meeting and share them with the other parent
- If the teacher gives permission, you can record the meeting so the other parent can watch at a later time
Do you need help with your family law dispute? Call (270) 783-8311 to schedule your free consultation with one of our lawyers in Bowling Green.