No event feels rushed quite like a Meet the Teacher in middle school science. You’ve got 10-15 minutes to cover SO much information with parents/caregivers all while trying to make sure you make a good first impression. It’s exhausting. It’s like the entire first day of school squeezed into an hour of time.
And, if you’re a new teacher, you may be thinking to yourself “what in the world do I say to parents/caregivers during Meet the Teacher in middle school science?” Well, I’ve got some tips to help you get the information across while also keeping it short and sweet.
Make the Presentation
You may be hearing the opposite advice as other teachers will claim it’s “boring.” I have learned over the years that parents/caregivers might enjoy the fun stuff but if you’re limited on time, getting the information across to them about your class is much more important. Creating a presentation keeps you organized while you’re nervous talking in front of a room full of parents/caregivers, makes sure you hit all the key points and keeps your timing short so you don’t miss anything before that bell goes off for parents/caregivers to move classes.
Once you’ve made the slides, upload those to Google Classroom, Canvas or whatever Learning Management System your school uses for parents/caregivers to access later. All your parents/caregivers won’t show so you want to make sure that information is accessible to them too.
Create a Handout
Just like we accommodate our students’ needs, you’ll want to be accommodating for the parents/caregivers too. Some won’t read anything unless it’s online and others won’t read anything unless it’s printed and handed to them. If you want them to read what you have to say and remember it, make it accessible for them. Do not rely on them to just remember everything you said while you presented. They have 5-7 other classes to go to, make sure your information doesn’t get mixed up with the rest. Give them the document to refer back to later.
Here is what I hand out to parents/caregivers along with the presentation:
What Information Should I Provide to Parents/Caregivers?
There is a lot to go over during open house/meet the teacher night but you want to make sure you prioritize the important information first and then get to the less important stuff later. Of course, this will look different for every class so create your presentation with that in mind.
- Introduce yourself! Tell them a little bit of your background and experience. Parents/caregivers want to know who is teaching their child.
- What supplies do students need for your class?
- What will students learn in your class? Quickly go through a list of the topics.
- Will there be a midterm, final or standardized assessment in your class that students need to prepare for?
- Will there be any field trips? Can parents/caregivers volunteer to chaperone those trips?
- Do you have an Amazon wish list for supplies? (For this one, I love to add a QR code to the presentation and hand-out to make it easy for parents to access!)
- What do routines and procedures look like? Show them an example of your Google Classroom page, interactive science notebook, warm up procedure or assignment.
- Are there any lab safety rules you need to reinforce?
- What is your homework policy? Late work policy? Absent work policy?
- Explain how cell phone and technology use will be handled in your class.
- What is your grading policy?
- How can parents/caregivers access student grades?
- How can parents/caregivers contact you?
- Is tutoring available or any other support resource that students have access to if they need it?
- Is there a school PTA that parents/caregivers can join?
Bonus Tip!
Provide a sign in sheet for parents/caregivers as they come in that has them add their name, student’s name, email address and phone number. This has come in handy for me to remember who attended and have a document with recent contact information. Sometimes parents forget to update contact information with the school as it changes so this is a good resource to have. I know I have needed it more than once!
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