Teacher friends, it’s that time of year! Mid-July and time to start thinking about school again. 😲 I know my first year teachers out there are spending their July wondering how to prepare for first year teaching. I can remember that time of my life like it was yesterday! The first priority for me is planning a seamless Meet the Teacher Night. In the last 16 years of teaching, I’ve learned a few tricks (some the hard way) and I’m ready to share my ideas for Meet the Teacher Night that I’ve collected throughout those years.
Call me crazy, but I actually secretly get excited at this time of year. Even after 16 years, I still enjoy reorganizing and decorating my classroom while anticipating the sweet, tiny faces that will fill the space in a few weeks! For me, Meet the Teacher Night sets the pace for the year. As a parent, it’s tough to hand your pride and joy over to a stranger for most of the waking hours of every weekday. That requires a lot of trust! The ideas for Meet the Teacher Night that I’m sharing will show your families that they can trust you. Plus, because everything will be organized ahead of time, it will free you up to spend your time doing what’s most important – getting to know the families!
1. Have all students spaces labeled before Meet the Teacher Night.
Right now my house is FULL of boxes as we prepare to move. A few days ago, the kids were able to walk through the new house for the first time. What do you think was the first place they ran to? Of course, the bedrooms! They wanted to see what their new space was like. So, why am I telling you this story? Because our classrooms are like second homes to our students and they will want to know what spaces are theirs! I make sure to label cubbies, book boxes, mailboxes and desks.
I do have a little tip that will keep you from having to relabel things every year. Student desks have a name tag with their name and a number. All other spaces in my room have ONLY a number. Once students see their classroom number on the tag, they can use that to find all of their other spaces. This saves so much time every year because I don’t have to create new labels for every area in my room.
2. Create a slideshow about yourself to be playing throughout Meet the Teacher Night.
This might be one of my favorite tips from this list! Like I said, my goal is for the families to feel comfortable with me by the time they leave my classroom. This slideshow gives them a little glimpse into who I am. I make it a little quiz, so the students can interact with it. I quiz them on how many years I’ve been teaching, where I went to school, how many kids I have and what I was up to over the summer.
I’m all about helping my teacher friends out, so here’s a FREEÂ template for you!
Here’s how you can personalize it:
- Download 2 fonts: PBPeppermintCakePop & PBDunnObsessed (I LOVE these fonts!)
- Notice that the teacher’s name is in 2 layers. There is a black outline layer on top and a colored layer on bottom. You’ll need to skootch (not sure I’ve ever actually typed that word before!) the top layer to the right in order to type your name on the bottom layer. Then line them back up and type your name on the top layer. After it’s perfect, you can copy and paste on the other slides to save yourself some time. 🙂
- Change the question to whatever you want.
- Add your own photos in the frames.
- You’re ready to roll! Just keep this playing on repeat in the background during your Meet the Teacher night or use it as a whole group introduction of yourself.
3. Provide each family with a folder containing all important paperwork and your contact information on the front.
As teachers, we know that Meet the Teacher Night often feels like a blur. After I became a parent, I realized it’s the same for parents! This is especially true once you have multiple children, and therefore, multiple Meet the Teacher Nights! Make it easy on your students’ parents by putting everything in ONE place.
3. Give families a checklist (not numbered) for the night.
At the beginning I said I like my Meet the Teacher Night to be seamless. This is the key to that. I try to remember that not all of my families have had a great experience at schools. I want the time in my classroom to be as welcoming and easy as possible. Once I greet the family at the door, I direct them to the student’s seat. That’s where they’ll find the checklist of everything they can do during their time in the classroom.
Notice, I mentioned NOT numbering the list. I have to admit that I learned this the hard way. My first year using a checklist I number what needed to be done. “Meet Mrs. E” was first on the list. I’m assuming you can imagine the long line of families wasting their time waiting to talk with me so they could move on to number 2! Now I make sure to tell them they can do it in any order that works for them. Now they move around the room more organically and don’t feel rushed or crowded!
Some ideas for your check list could be:
- meet the teacher
- find the bathroom
- find your cubby
- find our desk
- take a treat
- join the class Facebook page
- put your supplies away
- visit the donation station
- watch the slideshow
- complete the parent contact information/busing information/etc
- write your child a letter for the first day of school
4. Have parents write their child a letter for the first day of school.
Everyone’s nervous and homesick the first day of school. I like to have a little piece of home waiting at my students’ desks when they arrive. At the end of Meet the Teacher night, I call the students up to the carpet to read to them. While I’m doing this, I tell parents to find the half sheet of paper I placed on each desk. I ask them to write a quick letter to their child encouraging them on their first day. I enjoy reading these as I pass them out on day 1.
5. Have previous students write a letter.
6. Ask families to bring a family photo.
7. Don’t forget a photo booth!
As parents, we all love snapping a photo of our child and their soon to be 2nd parents for the year … I mean teacher. Have a photo booth makes it a little more fun for the kids.