Congratulations! You are thinking about home educating one or more of your children. According to Alex Roslin, author of The New Homeschooling article in a recent issue of Today’s Parent magazine, the number of homeschooled children in Canada is around 70,000 children or about 2 per cent of the school-aged population. With the prevalence and tremendous growth of the popularity of online courses, which are not included in the statistics for home education, the trend of ‘home’ education is growing exponentially.

A meeting between you and your child’s teacher can be a powerful tool for helping your child succeed in school. Whether scheduled by the school, requested by you or suggested by the teacher, such a meeting gives you a platform to learn about your child and to assert your child’s needs. Follow these nine guidelines for more productive (and even enjoyable) parent-teacher conferences.