Strategies for a Successful Open House/Back to School Night

WGU’s Classroom Tip of the MonthSeptember, 2009

Welcome Back to School!!

IntroductionFor most veteran teachers, Open House/Back to School Night is just another night in the school year. They’ve been presenting to parents year after year and their public speaking jitters have long become a worry of the past. For new teachers however, this night can bring feelings of self-doubt and worries of parental approval.

This presentation is designed to help you prepare for a stress free evening. This is your time to meet your students’ parents, to display your confidence as a new teacher and to shine as a great educator. So, dry off your sweaty palms and let’s get to work!

Pre Open House – 1 week before• Promote Open House to your students all week. Some schools allow you to award extra credit to students if their parents attend. Before doing this, check your school policy or ask your administration.

• Invite parents to attend via letter sent home, email or automated phone call.

• Create the handouts you will need. Turn them in to the office with plenty of time to have them photo copied and returned to you so you can sort them and prepare them for distribution at Open House.

Pre Open House – 1 week before• Prepare a shopping list of items you’d like to purchase for the evening. You will be shaking a lot of hands and talking with a lot of people. I highly recommend a bottle of hand-sanitizer and individually wrapped breath mints for you and the parents.

• If you are an elementary school teacher, have a project prepared for students to work on during the week preceding Open House. For example: decorative name tags for the student desks, a wall mural, etc.

• Sketch out an agenda of topics you’d like to cover. Learn how much time you have for your presentation and do a practice run through. Make adjustments as necessary.

Open House – Suggested HandoutsSending parents home with handouts about your class is always a good idea. I recommend the following documents:

a)Rules/Class Policies/Class Syllabus – this will vary depending upon the grade level you teach.

b)Class Wish List – a list of supplies/items that parents could donate if they (or their place of business) had the means. I got a new photo copier for my department this way!

c)Volunteer Opportunities – provide a list of class field trips, school plays or anything where you know you could use parental assistance. Providing them the dates now allows them to get the time off of work and gets you volunteers early on.

Open House – Suggested Handouts

d) School Supply List – Most parents have this before school starts, but it doesn’t hurt to remind them of the required supplies needed for their child during the school year.

e)Helpful Hints –List your top ten suggestions for being successful in your class. I recommended flash cards for vocabulary, announced my tutoring days/times, suggested ways to study, provided parents the link to my on-line grade book so they could check their child’s progress. Parents loved this hand out!

Open House – Two hours before• Arrive early and be dressed professionally.

• Lock your classroom door and if you have a window in your door, cover it. Many parents like to get there early to have more “one-on-one” time with the teacher. While their intentions are good, parents don’t realize that when they do this, they are intruding on time you need to plan your evening. Don’t feel badly about doing this or about having parents waiting for you outside of your classroom door. If Open House begins at 7:00, keep your door locked until 6:50. This allows you time to prepare, time to use the restroom and you can open your door when you are ready.

Open House – Two hours before• Completely clean your classroom: wash your boards, clean the student desks, empty your trashcan, straighten the student work area, vacuum/sweep the floor and clean off your desk.

• Set up your “check-in area”. Set up a table or counter area for parents to stop at as soon as they walk in. Include the following: your business cards, a parent sign in sheet (with name, phone and email contact), hand sanitizer and breath mints/snack. Do not put your handouts here, unless you want the parents to read through them during your presentation.

• Write your name, email and phone number on the chalkboard. Be careful to not write down your internal phone extension or parents will call you in the middle of class. Provide your voice mail extension, instead.

Open House – Two hours before• Write down important dates/information on the chalkboard that parents might need to know. You also might want to include district wide testing dates for your school.

• Prepare a play area for children/toddlers. It is inevitable that some parents will bring their toddler aged children/babies to Open House. Do your best to keep them entertained so they don’t interfere with your presentation by having a separate area for them with activities, blocks, crayons, etc. Be sure to point out the play area to parents as they arrive and again as you begin your presentation, so your expectation is clear and to the point.

During Open House• If you school has an audio enhancement system, use it to project your voice throughout the room.

• Shake hands and smile. Be personable and approachable.

• Relax and talk slowly. Speak professionally and avoid using educational jargon or slang during your presentation.

• Introduce yourself and provide a brief overview of your background. (Good evening! My name is Mrs. Ryan and I’d like to thank you all for coming to Open House. I have been a 2nd grade teacher at this school for the last three years and I really enjoy teaching students at this age. I’m looking forward to sharing our curriculum with you this evening.)

During Open House• Review your classroom rules, policies or syllabus with the parents. If possible, use your overhead projector or ELMO projector to blow this information up for parents in the back to see.

• Display your textbook(s) for parents to see. Tell them what chapters are covered. Inform them if there is an accompanying workbook. Do they need to purchase it? This is your time to tell them what their child needs.

• Provide an overview of this year’s curriculum. Parents want to know what your expectations are and what their child will be learning. Explain to them about any big projects or upcoming events, as well.

During Open House• Tell them about your educational philosophy. You don’t have to read your entire philosophy to them, but give them the condensed version. How do you teach? Are you a big proponent of group work or individual assignments? Do you create lessons that support differentiated instruction? (Hint: Most parents don’t know what differentiated instruction is... you need to explain what that is in laymen’s terms.)

• Discuss any upcoming changes that could affect this year. For example: Are you leaving mid year for maternity leave? Will you be accepting a student teacher/intern that their child will have to adjust to? Do you team teach with another staff member who isn’t present? Parents prefer to know this information up front so they can prepare their child in advance.

During Open House• Announce any assistance available to the students:

Possible Announcements: a) Do you tutor after school? What days/times?

b) Is your grade book online for parents to check student performance? If so, provide them the link and how to get their account and password.

c) Do you send out progress reports? How? When?

d) What is your homework policy? Do you allow late work? Discuss this in detail. This is always a big topic.

e) When are parent conferences? Provide dates, times and locations.

During Open House• The four most important tips for a successful Open House :

1) Keep your computer off or your grade book out of view. This will prevent you from discussing students’ grades. This evening is about an overview or introduction to your class, not about what Johnny or Jane got on their last test. If a parent approaches you about grades, recommend that they schedule a parent/teacher conference.

2) Do not let one parent monopolize your time or corner you. If this happens, have a creative strategy planned in advance to get you out of that situation. If all else fails, excuse yourself to the restroom. Remember, you must be fair to all parents in attendance. They all want to hear what you have to say.

During Open House 3) Refrain from answering questions midway through your presentation or you will never finish your presentation. Ask the parents to jot their questions down as you go along and then allow time at the end of your speech to answer them.

4) Distribute your handouts last. Every teacher knows not to give out homework in the middle of class or the students will attempt to complete it during the class period. Parents are no different. If you give them your class literature early on, they are going to read through it, attempt to ask you questions about it and not pay attention to your presentation. Hand out papers as they leave the room---always!

Can’t attend Open House?If you are unable to attend your school’s Open House, I recommend the following:

a)Notify your principal of your absence and get his/her approval.b)Tape a note to your door stating that you are not available.c)Write a letter to the parents covering all the topics you would have covered had you been there, photo copy them and put them in a large envelope taped to your door. Make a sign that says “Parents, please take one”.d)If possible, hold your own “Open House” the following week by holding open office hours for parents to come and meet you after school. Include this information in the letter you post on the door.

Post Open House• Send a “thank you for coming” email to all the parents who attended. Use your sign in sheet for easy contact information.

• Input parent email addresses into your contact information so parent communication during the school year is quick and easy.

• Jot down some notes on your Open House Agenda of what went well and what you might want to change for next year.

• Make a file labeled “Open House/Back to School Night” and drop your agenda, sign in sheet and any handouts you created in it. Next year’s Open House will be a breeze since you have already created and saved everything you will need!

Comments or Questions?If you have any comments or questions about this presentation, please contact Marcella Ryan, WGU Mentor for Teacher Alumni.mryan1@wgu.edu

If you would like to provide your own ideas, please visit our WGU Teacher Blog and share your thoughts at http://alumni.wgu.edu.Click on “Teachers College” and then choose “Teacher Blog” to post your ideas.