Do you dread Back to School Night or Meet the Teacher Night as much as I do? After a long day of teaching, you need to go back to your classroom and share your expectations, rules, syllabus, and more all in about 10 minutes to a group of parents. Back to School Night can be exhausting and stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Take the pressure off of yourself with these proven tips for an easy Back to School Night!
Here are some of my best tips for taking the pressure off of you on Back to School Night.
What Should You Talk About?
My Back to School Night presentation always focuses on a few main aspects of Spanish class. I begin by introducing myself and my credentials and travel/language experience. Then, I make sure to introduce the ACTFL proficiency standards and what their students should be able to do by the end of the year. I also briefly discuss our themes and topics in the syllabus. In world language classrooms, we learn really fun and practical content! Help your parents understand that Spanish class is essential and useful!
Don’t forget to also mention the materials your students will need i.e. binders, pencils, headphones, etc. Most importantly, I talk about the important rules and expectations that most students have trouble following. Cell phone policy, late work, Google Translate, etc. are on the top of my list. If you cover them here, you are also covering your butt when it comes to sending parent communication down the road when a student breaks a rule.
Ask for parent insight
Have parents grab a blank index card on their way in the door. Now, don’t think that just because they are adults they will follow your instructions! They’re just like their kids… so make sure you write the instructions on the board for them! And you’ll need to provide extra pens! On the card, the parents should write the name of their student, the class period or class name, and one thing that they want you to know about their student. I actually learned so much from reading these cards over the years. Parents shared cute stories or personal insights about their children that I never would have known otherwise.
Get some brightly colored index cards so the parents’ eyes are drawn to them and like I said, don’t forget the extra pens!
Give a handout
Teaching a world language is different from any other high school subject. We try to stay in the target language all day, which can be tiring when we have to repeat, rephrase, and act out constantly. We try to combine all modes of communication and culture into every lesson. Many of us don’t have textbooks and must create our own resources – all of this is tiring, but we love what we do! I like parents to know a little bit more about our classroom, pedagogy, and language learning. Spanish Playground posted an infographic called 10 Things Parents Want Spanish Teachers to Know. Every year, I print these out and pass them out to the parents as they come into my classroom.
Show a funny video, joke, or meme
I’ll never forget that my mentor teacher my first year used a clip from Friends to begin her Back to School Night presentation. She is a French teacher, so if you’re a Friends fan, you know exactly what clip I’m thinking of! Joey is learning French from Phoebe, but having a very difficult time pronouncing and repeating what she says. As parents were walking in, she had it playing on a loop. This not only lightens the mood, but can give a glimpse at just how difficult our job can sometimes be!
Mention the Down Falls of Google Translate
As we all know, students cling to Google Translate, even after we specifically say don’t use it over and over again. I want parents to be aware of my strict stance on Google Translate. So, I’ve also used funny memes about the downfall of Google Translate, like the ones you see below. It helps me demonstrate that Google Translate is strictly prohibited and how it is not as helpful as they may think! Remember, they aren’t language teachers, they may only see Google Translate as being beneficial!
Try Presenting in the Target Language
Give parents a taste of what their students will experience in your classroom! Make a very basic (think Spanish 1 level) presentation about yourself. Use lots of images and props to support your presentation. Then at the end, explain that this is what their students will hear every day! They will be so amazed at what their students can understand and they will be impressed with your teaching style.
Don’t leave time for questions
If your Back to School Night is on a tight schedule like ours was, we only had 10 quick minutes to give our speech and move onto the next class. My mentor gave me some other really good advice… don’t leave time for questions! Now, that might sound selfish or mean, but if a parent has a question, they can quickly ask after the presentation on their way out the door. Plus, you should always end your presentation with your contact information.
Most times, the questions they have are specific to their child, and should probably be covered in an email anyway. You should have covered all of the important information during your presentation, so there should be no “general” questions. Also, if you leave time for questions, sometimes you get a handful of parents with no questions. Then you’re left with a few awkward minutes of silence before they head to the next classroom!
Practice a few times!
Now, we’re all teachers, so we are used to presenting every day. But this is a whole different type of presentation. I don’t know about you, but when my audience changes from students to adults, I get very nervous. So, I recommend practicing your presentation just once or twice… and time it! See how long it takes you to run through the whole thing. That will give you an idea of what you need to cut or add to fit into the designated time slot.
These tips will hopefully help eliminate the stress and anxiety that teachers usually feel about Back to School Night or Meet the Teacher night. Share your favorite strategies, resources, or tips below with other world language teachers.
