I attended high school open house last night. I found that it’s a long walk from the first period math classroom to the other side of the campus where the second period music class is held.
I was impressed with the teachers I met. One thing I noted was an increased use of technology tools to help parents and teachers work together. Teachers noted they were reporting student scores in SPAN, the Student Parent Access Network. It’s a way to see test results and attendance to track grades earlier than in mid term reports, or waiting for reports cards. Teachers were also talking about their Blackboard sites. One teacher said he had just set his up for the first time. Teacher can provide a wide range of materials on Blackboard sites. Some noted they would have the class syllabus, homework assignments, work sheets and helpful website links. The information on Blackboard sites and SPAN can help parents of high school students better understand their child’s school work.
Teachers discussed their free periods, time when they would be available to work with students outside of the regular class. All provided e-mail addresses to make communication easy.
After their long day and the increased demands put on schools this year, I was happy to hear the excitement teachers conveyed about the start of the school year, their love of teaching and their concern for our children.