AnotherPea
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,968 
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Post by AnotherPea on Sept 25, 2015 20:38:46 GMT
We have a pretty big turnout at my school's open house (high school). I had a few email exchanges today that made me think back to that night. And think of something that might be helpful to parents next time around.
If you're at Open House just to get a feel for the teachers, see what the classrooms look like, walk the schedule with your child, then ignore this.
But if you're there so you can speak with the teacher because there's something you think she needs to know or you just want her to know who you belong to and that you're there, this is for you.
You can help yourself (and even the teacher) so much by writing a quick little note before you go. Write down what it is you want her to know, your name and your email address. Then on Open House speak to her, say what you want to say and hand her the note. Because if she's like me she will meet over 100 parents in a matter of an hour and will not remember half of what was said. But she'll want to. If she has that note to refer to the next day she'll remember you and your words so much more. While of course you cannot have a parent conference at Open House, sometimes it is helpful to let the teacher know that Johnny is going through a rough time right now and that first impressions might be deceptive. Or that Sally is trying an advanced course for the first time and if there's any indication she's in over her head, you want to be called to make a schedule change. Even that Suzy and Bobby have hated each other since kindergarten and it may not be a good idea to seat them next to each other. Having a note to read when things are calmer will really help. |
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Post by nicole2112 on Sept 25, 2015 20:40:53 GMT
Great advice! That hand written note will trigger the memory of the conversation long after the open house is over.
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tiffanytwisted
Pearl Clutcher
you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave
Posts: 4,538
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Post by tiffanytwisted on Sept 25, 2015 21:14:37 GMT
Every year, every principal has made it part of their opening speech to gently remind parents that this is a time to get to see your child's classroom(s), get a brief overview of what they'll be studying and meet the teacher. And that's it. They are very good at telling everyone that if they would like to speak to the teacher about their child, it's best to set up an appointment w/the teacher.
Apparently no one listens because you'd think they wouldn't have to say it in middle or high school, right? I always wonder who are the dingbats who need to be told that anyway. Probably my son's friend's mother who brought her 14 yr old son and her 6 yr old daughter to the high school's Back to School Night this year. Really?
Great suggestion about leaving a note. Ours encourage us to contact them by email (which is fine), but by the time I get home, I've forgotten anything I may have wanted to say, lol. Being able to write a quick note right then is a great idea.
Hope your Open House went well!
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Post by epeanymous on Sept 25, 2015 21:45:41 GMT
I don't go to open house or curriculum night (which is what we call it here) to talk to teachers about my kid individually, and it can be frustrating if you are trying to get general information about the class to have parents taking the maybe thirty minutes allocated to filibuster for five minutes about their kid.
My oldest moved middle schools from last year to this year, and you know what is super helpful? Each of her teachers this year sent home a syllabus with his or her contact information on it and instructions as to how best to contact them. Her old school didn't do that, and it was surprisingly tough to track down information. I wonder if part of why I used to see the individual teacher buttonholing was because a lot of parents had difficulty contacting them (I would worry that if I handed them a note on a busy night that they might understandably lose track of it).
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Post by wrongwayfeldman on Sept 25, 2015 21:52:44 GMT
Great ideas! Thanks for taking the time to give us your insight. This is really helpful.
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tincin
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,368
Jul 25, 2014 4:55:32 GMT
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Post by tincin on Sept 26, 2015 2:24:33 GMT
Great idea.
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Post by 950nancy on Sept 26, 2015 2:55:17 GMT
I always went to Open House right up through senior year. Every teacher in high school had us fill out a preferred contact sheet. Several teachers had us fill out a questionnaire about our kiddo that we turned in. My husband worked for the high school, so most teachers knew my kid (but not always me). I always just introduced myself with my giant boy standing next to me and just told them if they ever saw anything they thought I needed to know about to email me. I was just there to support them. My son did well in school, but you just NEVER know for sure. If they hang around the wrong kid or at the wrong place… I also always emailed his teachers during teacher apperception week and specifically thanked them. Teaching (and certainly other jobs too) is rough sometimes and parental support goes such a long way.
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