We've all been there. You're just about ready to open your doors for your meet the teacher night open house and you realize you left the refreshments at home or you forgot to make your special handout. No teacher wants to be unprepared for one of the most important nights of the year.
Why is meet the teacher night so important?
Your classroom floors are shiny and polished. There are brand new pencils sharpened and ready to go. You've decorated your classroom with a cute theme and you're ready to welcome parents in for the first time. Meet the teacher night is one of the most important school nights of the year. This is when you'll set the tone for the relationships you'll have with parents all year.
It's important to be friendly, welcoming, and professional. During this orientation, parents are going to get their first impression of you as their child's teacher and as we all know, first impressions matter. Often, our first impression of someone can make us like them….or loath them.
You want your student's parents to trust and like you. They don't have to be your best friend and in fact, they shouldn't. But respect is important between a teacher and parent and that first open house is when you'll begin to establish that relationship. Send a welcome letter or invitation to parents ahead of time inviting them to your open house and then follow these 6 tips to help assure you have a successful first meeting with parents.
1. Make your classroom a welcoming environment
The first step in making your meet the teacher open house a success is to prepare your classroom. Give yourself enough time to get your classroom set up and ready to go. It doesn't have to be “Pinterest perfect” but it should be clean and well organized.
Imagine parents walking into their child's classroom for the first time to see boxes piled high and papers scattered everywhere. It's the same as inviting guests to your home but there's a sink full of dirty dishes, laundry piled high on the floor and the bathroom hasn't been cleaned in weeks. It doesn't make a very good impression.
Take the time to prepare your classroom. Arrange the furniture in an organized way. Make sure all the boxes are unpacked and put away from the summer. Hang some fresh bulletin board paper and make the classroom look inviting to both the parents and the students.
2. Create a plan for your meet the teacher night
When you invite friends or family over for the evening, you have a plan, right? Maybe you're going to play a game, have a celebration or watch a movie. You create a plan in your head so that everything goes smoothly and you don't just sit there staring at each other all night. You need to do the same thing for meet the teacher night.
Decide ahead of time the agenda for the evening. It's a good idea to structure the night in some way. When parents and students come into the classroom and just wander around with no direction, that's usually when problems start to arise. Remember, this is YOUR house and you've invited them over.
Introduce yourself and greet parents and students at the door and tell them where to sit. If possible, have students sit at their assigned seats with extra chairs for parents to sit by their children. Most parents and children are apprehensive and somewhat uncomfortable at this first meeting. They really don't know what they're supposed to do. When you create the plan ahead of time you can lead the evening in a confident manner and that makes everyone feel more comfortable.
3. Establish your authority
When guests come to your home, do they take off their shoes? Do they wander in and out of your bedrooms and open up closets? Probably not and that's because you've established your authority over your home. It's not that you aren't friendly or nice to your guests but they know what's expected of them when they come to your house.
Students and parents need to know about your classroom as well. Meet the teacher night is your opportunity to set the tone for the entire year. This is when you can tell parents your daily classroom schedule, homework expectations, and other procedures. If you'll have a student teacher, be sure to include them in your evening as well. A good way to do this is by using an open house PowerPoint presentation on your board.
Open house Powerpoint slides will make you look professional and prepared. It'll also help calm your nerves, knowing you have something you can refer to when talking to the parents and students.
Create a presentation that you can share with parents that includes all the important information they'll need to know for the year. Some things you might include:
- Bus schedule
- Breakfast and lunch routines and prices
- Classroom rules
- Special parties, projects and activities you have planned
- Report card and assessment procedures
- Parent volunteer information
- Parent / teacher communication procedures
- Classroom wishlist
- Daily snack procedures
- Student dress code
4. Prepare a handout
Parents usually get a lot of information during this first meeting and it's impossible to remember everything. Prepare a handout with all of your important classroom information to give to parents. Include all of the information in your PowerPoint presentation. You can even simply copy your presentation template and make that your handout.
This will make it easier for parents to listen without having to frantically take notes during your presentation. Parents will appreciate this, knowing they'll have all the information at home to refer to when needed. And, you will once again establish your authority and professionalism as the classroom teacher.
5. Collect important information and supplies
Your classroom open house is the perfect time to collect student supplies. Often students have so many supplies that it's difficult for kindergarten or 1st-grade kids to carry them all by themselves. Get some free supply labels and then place labeled boxes around your classroom or in the hallway to collect student supplies.
Parents and students can place them in the boxes which will give them something to do when they first arrive. When you collect supplies at your meet the teacher night, you can get them all organized and put away before the first day of school. This will give you more time to prepare your first week of school lesson plans.
Meet the teacher night is also the perfect time to collect important information from parents. Have some printable sheets for parents to fill out like emergency contact information, parent email address, and volunteer sign-up sheets. This information will be invaluable to you throughout the year.
6. Refreshments and treats
A nice way to end your evening is with some refreshments and a special treat for students. Keep it as simple as possible. It's not necessary to spend a lot of money to impress parents and students. A little treat goes a long way in making people feel welcome but be sure to make it something that isn't too messy. Cookies and juice boxes work well in an elementary classroom. They're easy to clean up and won't spill.
Another nice idea is to have a little welcome gift for your students. Please don't go out and spend a ton of money on this! First-grade kids will appreciate anything you give them. A few starbursts in a small ziplock with this cute freebie saying “I'm bursting with excitement to have you in my class!” will make your students happy and excited to have you as their teacher!
Grab everything you need for your meet the teacher night with one of these editable forms, lists, and Powerpoint presentations to ensure your perfect open house! Click on the picture to see everything included.
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Need more ideas for the beginning of the year? Click below to check out these posts for tips and advice to run an effective classroom.
