That takes care of the lead-up to the PTA. What about the meeting itself?
I recall an incident with one of my own children, when the rebbi called me after the very first day of cheider to tell me that my son had misbehaved and that I should make sure to let him know that such a lack of derech eretz would not be tolerated in this new class.
I thanked the rebbi for letting me know and then thought about what I should say to my son. Of course, if he had misbehaved he had to learn to improve — and yet, knowing my son, telling him this directly seemed unlikely to achieve that outcome. On the other hand, ignoring the rebbi’s request was also not the correct response. So I called my son over and told him, “Your rebbi just called, and you know what? He enjoyed having you in his class so much today! He told me how smart you are and that he heard nice things about you from your last year’s rebbi. He said he can see how much you’re going to contribute as the year goes on.”
Two days later, the rebbi called me back. “Thanks so much for speaking to your son. What you said had the right effect — he’s like a different child.”
After coming home from PTA, most parents will be able to find something positive that a teacher said and highlight it. If there’s really nothing, it can often be worthwhile to be creative, because the results will prove that it was the right method to use. Children are much more likely to behave well in class when they feel that their teachers like them and appreciate their abilities.
