Family-Educator Conference
Mrs. Friedman is meeting with Mr. Lee, whose son, David, is learning to engage socially with his peers.
Mrs. Friedman: Good morning, Mr. Lee! Thank you for coming to the center today to talk about how things have been going with David.
Mr. Lee:( smiling) Of course! I was anxious about how David was doing when you asked me to meet with you.
Mrs. Friedman: David has a lot of great qualities, and we enjoy having him here. However, we have noticed some behavioral concerns.
Mr. Lee:( frowning, crossing arms, and leaning forward) What do you mean? What kind of behavioral concerns?
Mrs. Friedman:( showing discomfort with Mr. Lee’ s body language) Over the past few weeks, David has been having a difficult time sharing and taking turns. He gets frustrated when he doesn’ t get his way. When teachers can’ t get to him fast enough, he can be aggressive and has even hit other children.
Mr. Lee:( shifting in his seat and elevating his voice) Are you saying David is a problem? He is only 3 years old! It sounds like the staff here aren’ t watching him or the other children very well!
After this exercise, Mrs. Friedman debriefs with her coach. They talk about what she did well( thanking Mr. Lee for the meeting; starting the conversation with a positive comment about David) and what could be improved. For example, Mrs. Friedman could have asked Mr. Lee if he observed similar interactions outside of school or what strategies he used when David became frustrated. The coach also asks if Mrs. Friedman could connect Mr. Lee’ s body language to the language she used. After debriefing, Mrs. Friedman repeats the exercise.
Mrs. Friedman: Good morning, Mr. Lee! Thank you for coming to the center to talk about David’ s progress transitioning to the 3-year-olds’ class.
Mr. Lee:( smiling) Of course! I was curious to learn more about how David was doing in his new class.
Mrs. Friedman: David has a lot of great qualities, such as his expansive vocabulary and his newfound curiosity about different types of insects. He has a great memory and seems to enjoy learning. We also want to talk about some areas we have been working on during interactions with peers during less structured play activities. How does David interact with other children outside of school?
Mr. Lee:( leaning forward) I am so glad to hear that he is enjoying learning at school. He mainly interacts with his older siblings and doesn’ t seem to have any problems.
Mrs. Friedman:( nodding) We have noticed that David needs support to share materials with other children. There was an instance when the teachers were with other children across the room, and David yelled and put his hands on another child who had a toy that he wanted. We have observed times when David will happily share with others. For example, when one of the teachers is close, they can prompt David to take turns and use his words to ask his peers for a toy when he wants it. He also benefits from a visual timer so that he knows it is another friend’ s turn when the time runs out.
Mr. Lee:( tilting head to the side) As far as what I am seeing with him interacting with other children, he is mainly around his older siblings. They are used to giving him what he wants because he is the baby. So I can see how that might be hard for him to share in school. Maybe I will try to get him together with other children his own age so that he gets used to playing and sharing with others.
48 Young Children
Summer 2026