Meeting the Teachers

Open house is one of the most important nights of the school year. You have a chance to sit in the classroom where your child will be spending time every school day for the year. You meet the teachers who will be guiding your child's learning for the year.

I went to open house last night and met an interesting group of high school teachers. One had been teaching at the school for 23 years. Another had moved here from California, but was an experienced math teacher. All were excited. They mentioned some of the challenges coming up. The biology teacher talked about the dissection the students would tackle after spring break. The language arts teacher had a Blackboard webpage set up to help students and parents navigate her lessons including a series of books they'll be reading. The Spanish teacher warned of tapings the school is requiring in all foreign language courses this year. In her class, a student would randomly pick a question in Spanish and record their answer in Spanish on tape during class. All of the teachers offered their e-mail address and said it was the best way to stay in touch.

Several of them posted hours they would be available to assist students. The math teacher is available in her classroom every morning at 7 a.m. and sometimes after school. Several of the teachers noted they carried on conversations with students by e-mail about homework and class problems.

I did notice a tinge of sadness expressed by one or two of them regarding the fact that parent turnout was low in some classes. They realize the impact parents have on students. When parents take steps such as attending open house to show they value school, it sends an important message to their children.

The teachers I saw last night all had plans in place for instruction and were offering opportunities to go beyond classroom time to work with students. A partnership with parents will help them and their students enjoy a successful school year.

Posted by Bill Poston at 03:08 PM on September 12, 2007 | Leave Feedback

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