Tis the season for Back To School Nights and your chance to spend a few minutes with your child's teacher. Some suggestions to help you make the most of your Child's Schools Back to School Night

Preparation:
1. Find out if your child can go with you

2. If your child is not, get a map so you know where you are going for middle school and High School especially, and have your child draw the best route.

3. Have them right down the periods, subject and name of the teacher

4. Bring something to take notes with and write with.

5. Remember you usually only get 10 or so minutes per class, so your time will be limited.

6. Find out for K-5 where the student has one teacher the entire day, what are the room numbers for the next year (example: if your child is in 4th grade, find out the room numbers for the 5th grade).

Actions:

1. Greet the teacher and shake their hand saying you are so and so's parent, with your name.

2. Ask the teacher how your student is doing, but you probably won't get a good answer from middle school and high school (your child is one of 180 or so students they have, and unless they are either extremely good or bad, most teachers won't remember).

3. Look around the room, especially if there are projects.

4. Get advice from K-4 teachers on whom they recommend for next year for teachers.

5. Visit the teachers who are one year ahead for K-5 to look at projects (and find out what the competition is doing). At my daughter's school, the projects some of the 5th grader supposedly (with how much parental help) did was amazing. One was a working saw mill.

6. If your child is not doing well or you have concerns, schedule a parent teacher conference at another time than back to school night so the teacher can be prepared.

Labels: Education, Parents, Schools