Before We Meet
The page you fill in beforehand and carry into the conference.
Free. No account, no email, nothing to install.Families · Conference season
No email address, no account. Print as many as you need, including for a whole class.
For schools and PTOs
Put your school's name on it
Type a school name and it appears on the sheet. Print a class set or a school set — there is nothing to buy and nothing to attribute.
The name you type stays in this browser. It is not sent to us, not saved, and not recorded anywhere — closing the tab is enough to remove it. In the print dialog, choose Save as PDF to keep a copy.
What the sheet asks
- The three things I most want to ask — numbered, so you leave having asked them.
- What I’ve noticed at home.
- What I’d like to understand better.
- Notes from the meeting — a large panel to write in while you are there.
- What we agreed, and who’s doing it.
How to use it
- Fill in your three questions before you go.
- Take it with you — the notes panel is for during the meeting.
- Leave with what was agreed written down, and who is doing it.
Fill in the top half the night before the conference, and take it in with you. The bottom half is for during — what was said, what was agreed, and who is doing it. Fifteen minutes goes quickly, and most parents leave having asked none of the things they meant to ask.
Questions people ask
- Do I give this to the teacher?
- No. It is yours — that is the difference between this and the other two forms. Nothing on it goes in a file unless you choose to share it.
- What if I only have one question?
- Then write one. Three lines is a prompt to think beforehand, not a quota. One question you actually care about beats three you invented in the corridor.
- Is it useful for a short conference?
- Most of all. When the slot is ten or fifteen minutes, the parents who get answers are the ones who walked in knowing what they wanted to ask.
- Can teachers hand these out?
- Yes, and it is a good idea — send it home a week before conference night. A prepared parent makes the meeting shorter and more useful for both of you.
The thinking behind it
Before We Meet: The Page to Fill In the Night Before a Conference
A conference is ten or fifteen minutes. The parents who get answers are the ones who walked in knowing what they wanted to ask, and who wrote down what was said.