Back to Situations

Initial Greeting and General Update

Parents meet the teacher, exchange initial pleasantries, and receive a general overview of their child's academic performance and classroom behavior.

Dialogue

Listen and follow along with the conversation

1
Parent (Male)
Good evening, Ms. Chen. Thanks for seeing us. We're Lily's parents, Mark and Susan.
2
Teacher (Female)
Good evening, Mark and Susan. It's a pleasure to finally meet you both. Please, have a seat. I'm happy to talk about Lily's progress.
3
Parent (Female)
Thank you. We're curious to get an overall picture of how she's doing. She always seems to enjoy school.
4
Teacher (Female)
Yes, Lily is a delightful student. Overall, she's doing very well academically. Her reading comprehension has really improved, and she's a strong participant in class discussions.
5
Parent (Male)
That's great to hear! We've noticed she's been reading more at home too.
6
Teacher (Female)
Absolutely. In terms of behavior, she's very cooperative and gets along well with her classmates. She's a lovely presence in the classroom.
7
Parent (Female)
That’s good to know. We always try to encourage her to be a good friend.
8
Teacher (Female)
She certainly is. We can dive into specific subjects if you like, but generally speaking, you should be very proud of her progress this year.

Vocabulary

Essential words and phrases from the dialogue

pleasure

A feeling of happiness or satisfaction; often used in polite greetings like 'It's a pleasure to meet you' to show you are glad to see someone.

progress

Improvement or development over time; in school contexts, it means how well a student is advancing in learning.

curious

Wanting to know or learn more about something; used when expressing interest, like 'We're curious about her performance.'

overall

Considering everything together; a useful word to give a general summary, as in 'Overall, she's doing well.'

delightful

Very pleasant and enjoyable; often used to describe someone positively, like a student who is fun and well-behaved.

comprehension

The ability to understand something, especially reading or listening; key in education for skills like 'reading comprehension.'

cooperative

Willing to work with others and follow rules; describes good behavior in group settings like classrooms.

gets along

Has a good relationship with others; a common phrase for describing social skills, like 'She gets along well with classmates.'

Key Sentences

Important phrases to remember and practice

Good evening, Ms. Chen. Thanks for seeing us.

A polite greeting for formal meetings in the evening; 'Thanks for seeing us' shows appreciation for the teacher's time. Use this at parent-teacher conferences to start positively.

It's a pleasure to finally meet you both.

Expresses happiness in meeting someone for the first time; 'finally' adds that it's been anticipated. Useful for professional introductions to build rapport.

We're curious to get an overall picture of how she's doing.

Shows interest in a general summary; 'curious to get' uses infinitive for purpose, and 'overall picture' means big view. Great for asking about progress without specifics.

Overall, she's doing very well academically.

Gives a positive general assessment; 'academically' specifies school subjects. Use this structure to summarize performance in reports or discussions.

Her reading comprehension has really improved.

Describes progress in a skill; present perfect 'has improved' shows change up to now, 'really' emphasizes. Helpful for talking about student development.

In terms of behavior, she's very cooperative.

Introduces a topic like behavior; 'in terms of' means 'regarding.' Use this phrase to organize discussions into categories like academics or social skills.

She gets along well with her classmates.

Describes good social relations; simple present tense for ongoing habits. Common in school feedback to highlight teamwork and friendships.

Generally speaking, you should be very proud of her progress.

Offers a broad conclusion; 'generally speaking' means in general. Use to end positively, encouraging parents with 'should be proud' for motivation.