Teachers see your child in a very different context than you do — a classroom of 20 to 30 children, structured transitions, group instructions. Sharing what you notice at home (what helps, what doesn't, what a good evening looks like) gives them useful information they otherwise wouldn't have.
Come to meetings with specific, recent examples rather than general impressions. "Last Tuesday's spelling homework took over an hour and ended in tears" is easier for a teacher to act on than "homework has been rough lately".
Ask what's working well at school, not just what's difficult. Knowing which strategies a teacher already uses successfully helps you reinforce the same approach at home instead of accidentally working against it.
If your child has a formal support plan, such as an individual education plan, review it together periodically rather than only at the annual meeting — goals and needs can shift meaningfully over a school year.
A short, friendly check-in message once every few weeks — "just wanted to see how things are going" — often does more for a working relationship with a teacher than saving everything up for one big conversation.