At my school, we hold Back to School Night for two hours at the end of September. We have 8 periods in total. We start the night with meeting in our homeroom, and then proceed to each of the 8 classes. The families follow their children’s schedule, seeing which classes and teachers they choose. Each class meets for 7 minutes, and the families get a 5 minute window to find their next class. Seven minutes can either seem like an eternity if you’re not prepared, or it can go by in a flash if you are well prepared!
Lucky for you, I have created a time schedule that can be adjusted to your needs so you are well prepared down the very minute!
0:00-1:00: Meet and greet! Say good evening, welcome the families as they enter your classroom, have them sign-in with their name, phone number and e-mail address and instruct them to take your pre-made handouts before they pick a seat.
1:01-2:00: Introduce yourself! Who are you, where did you go to college, how long have you been teaching, what do you love about teaching? Short, sweet and to the point. That’s always best.
2:01-5:00: During this time, you will want to refer to the handouts you provided. These handouts should include a copy of course proficiencies and a copy of classroom rules. You will also want to discuss what types of activities your students will be doing, what types of technology your students will be working with, and anything else particular to your class.
5:01-6:00: Invite the families to do a gallery-walk around your classroom to view the displayed work of your students during the first month of school. They love seeing this stuff!
I love to bring attention to student's work by walking over to it, and asking something like, "Does anyone remember reading Shakespeare in high school?" Then, I point out some of the cool and interesting details included in the project.
6:01-7:00: Provide an “exit ticket” or Post-It for any questions, comments or concerns they make have. Upon exiting, provide them your personal business card and your OneSheet and thank them for coming tonight.
You can adapt this to fit your needs but this is a basic run-down of a successful Back to School Night. Being unprepared leads to awkward silences and weird stares that make everyone uncomfortable. It gives a terrible first impression and the whole point of the night is to give the best first impression you can.
Hopefully you’ll find this helpful as we move into the start of another exciting school year! Best of luck to all of you as you prepare for Back to School Night and the rest of the school year!
