Monday, August 6, 2012

Back to School To-Do List - Meet the Teacher Night

Did you know that before I gained fame and fortune as a Kindermusik teacher I was a 6th grade teacher?  I spent quite a few Meet the Teacher Nights on the other side of that big desk. Now I have 4 of my own children in school (grades 8, 6, 4 and 1) So I know a little something about both perspectives here. This is what I know; parents want their child to start off on the best footing and so does his or her teacher.

The intention of Meet the Teacher Night is to be the first contact that establishes a partnership between home, school and classroom.  It is the dial tone of the school year - an open line of communication.  Meet the Teacher Nights vary by name, and exact setup, but typically, there is a school-wide meeting where the principal welcomes you to the new school year and sets the tone for the school-wide initiatives and culture. Then parents break-out to student classrooms where teachers get specific about classroom expectations, policies and procedures, style of instruction and supply lists. This is when parents inevitably create their first impression about 'how this school year is going to go.' On paper it is the most fantastic premise, but it does not always work so seamlessly.

In a case like mine, there is the predicament of having to be in four classrooms at the same time. There is a possibility that you may not be able to send a parent representative to Meet the Teacher Night at all and there is a possibility that you may leave without the information that is most important to you.

There are some things you can do to get the most out of your Meet the Teacher Night and set your child up for quite possibly the best school year ever.  I put it together in this little presentation below.  Enjoy...



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