On the eve of my 50th open house (24 as a parent and 26 as an educator) I wanted to reflect on what exactly it is that teachers hope to convey at these yearly events and what is it that parents need to hear. For some reason open house is the one event that still gives me butterflies, but not as much as it did when I was a twenty-three year old first year teacher. Of course it is important to provide parents with information about routines and policies, dates, schedules, and information about homework, and you should. However those details can most likely be found on a website, but there are plenty of things a teacher can share with parents that can only be captured in person.
10 Things You Want Parents to Take Away from Open House
- That you have a passion for teaching
- That you will report just as many (if not more!) positives than negatives
- That you have taken the time to get to know their child
- That you are human
- That you are a professional
- That you care about their child
- That you have the support of your peers and supervisors
- That you know where you students need to be and you have a plan to get them there
- That you will answer their questions and listen to their concerns
- That you will be a positive role model for their child