Back to school night is a tradition that takes place on almost every campus across the United States. We are never really trained on what to do during BTSN and until you are a parent who has sat through presentations you don’t really know what parents want to hear. Here are some tips and ideas you can add to your presentation.
Idea 1: Use the target langague to greet the families
Yes! You might ask yourself, “Why have I not been doing this?” It is good to let parents feel what it is like to learn a new langague so they can have some empathy for their student. Parents love to see what you are teaching but they also want to know HOW you are teaching it.
You can use the target langague when greeting parents at the door or when you first begin your presentation. Doing this will also make your class a bit more memorable.
Idea 2: Enhance your notes
Use comic strips, memes, and other images to your slides and handouts. You would not use a boring Slide presentation for your students so why do it for the parents? Let your true personality come out by incorporating the fun stuff. Don’t be stuffy! Have some fun. The bonus is you can add some culture knowledge by incorporating these images.
Idea 3: Explain the class process
Instead of talking about how you grade, put that information in a handout and cover it quickly. Do share with the parents how the class is ran by telling parents how a typical class day is structured. Or explain what takes place in a normal week of ASL. Revert back to idea 1 above and teach a mini-lesson so they can see what your class is like. Now that is memorable!
Idea 4: Share your passion
We love to share with families the topics we will cover in the class during the school year. That is great but maybe change it up and share your passion for what you are teaching instead of what you are teaching. Get the families excited by telling them how you plan to encourage and motivate their students. This is an opportunity to have you stand out from the other teachers on your campus and make yourself memorable.
Idea 5: Leave some space
It is always a good idea to have your room decorated and looking smart but it is also a great idea to leave room for student work. It doesn’t matter the age you teach, parents love to see their child’s work. Make it a point to have their work up on the walls. I like to use QR codes and shortened URLs so they can actually see their students signing. (Parents LOVE it).
I hope you have a successful back to school night.
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