classrooms for Open House! While it may seem nerve-racking to think about at first, it is a wonderful opportunity to meet your student's caregivers, make connections, and provide a glimpse into the magic of your classroom. But what exactly should you include in your Open House meet and greet?
A smiling face!
It should go without saying that caregivers want to see the same friendly smile that greets their children every day! They want to know that their child feels safe and welcome in your classroom. In addition to a smiling face, present a hook to your class curriculum - get caregivers excited about your class too! If they are on board with your class, they can easily provide more enthusiastic support to their student at home.
Provide a brief overview of the topics covered throughout the year - caregivers love having an idea about what their child will be learning about through the course of the year. Mention any classic assignments or engaging projects that students will complete. Have a fun idea for a field trip? Float it by the caregivers and see what they think! You should want the caregivers to leave your room with as much enthusiasm for your class as their child.
Key class expectations
As mentioned above, caregivers want to know that their child is going to feel safe within the walls of your classroom. What expectations are in place so that every child feels comfortable and supported to succeed in your room? What types of activities are students expected to complete? Are there a lot of partner or group activities?
Think about the class policies that are most important to you, specifically the ones where you need caregiver support for their child to be successful. For example, I no longer grade homework, but I do provide students optional practice activities for each grammar and vocabulary concept. At the start of the year, I explain to students that they should reflect on whether or not they need this optional practice to succeed in class the next day and to do well on upcoming assessments. I reiterate that if students do not do well in class assignments and I see that they haven't been completing the optional practices, then I will speak to them and their caregivers about this. This expectation is definitely one I should share with caregivers! It presents a great conversation starter between caregivers and their child about the class material. I want caregivers to know that I will be reaching out to them if I notice a pattern with their child not completing the optional practices and struggling with a class assessment as a result. Together, I know that we will have productive conversations with the student about reflection and taking charge of their own learning.
Another important policy in my classroom (and now entire school!) is the use of no cell phones. Each classroom has a hanging cell phone holder set of pouches, and students must put all devices in the pouches upon entering the room. After seeing the success of the cell phone pouches in the first few weeks, I will reiterate this expectation with caregivers and explain how much even informal conversation has flourished in the classroom when students do not have their cell phones glued to their fingertips. I know caregivers will be relieved to hear that this new policy has been received so positively by their children and that it's creating a positive learning environment!
Grading policies
How do you grade assignments? My department recently moved toward standards based grading using the categories Presentational, Interpretive, and Interpersonal. This has been a huge shift from the traditional categories of tests, quizzes, homework, and participation. I will outline this new system for caregivers and provide examples of what each category looks like within my classroom. I will highlight the benefits of this new system and how now we will be able to understand what exactly their child can do in the language and what they can improve moving forward!
Do students have opportunities to revise work in your classroom? Outline any steps and deadlines students need to meet in order to turn in revised work for a new grade. Once again, the more caregivers know about your class policies, the more they can support their child from the other end!
Other curricular opportunities
My world language department offers a world language honor society for students. Each year we induct eligible students into the various honor societies for each language. The induction process and ceremony take place in the spring, and caregivers are always interested in what the eligibility requirements are so they can support their child in meeting the requirements.
Does your world language department have any trips abroad planned? Open House is the perfect time to showcase any amazing trips that will be happening in your department. Advertising these trips early in the process is especially important if students need to save up money to attend! Some trips are even planned two years in advance to give caregivers the notice needed to begin planning.
End on a positive note!
The Open House at my school flies by - we meet with caregivers of each class period for only 10 minutes. No matter how much information I pack into that precious time, I always end on a positive note. My favorite thing to mention is how incredible their children are and how they make my job so enjoyable!
What do you highlight at your school's Open House? Post your thoughts below!
Happy teaching!
Dana, Señorita's Spanish Class
