It's that time of year again. The time to dust off those slacks and dresses, buy new fall clothes and collect

those supplies. Yep, it's back to school time. However, what the average person does not realize is that

some of us educators have been working nonstop since last May or June. We have been looking at

previous test scores, registering new students, and going to workshops. Most recently, all of us

educators have been back early from summer break getting our classrooms cleaned and ready for our

new students to attend. I have noticed that many new first year teachers coming in are nervous about

their first day; however, most of the teachers seem to not just only be nervous about the first day, but

also Open House.

For those who do not know what Open House is, it is the time when parents, students, and teachers

meet each other for the first time. This is the time were everyone can have a good rapport with each

other and the parents and students can see what you will be teaching. I thought that I would gi ve some

tips to the first year teacher who may be reading this for the first time.

Your Room

One tip that is helpful is to come in a few days earlier to get your room started. Note: you will not get

paid extra for this (depending on when your contract starts), but for your sanity it is a good idea to get a

healthy start on your new space. Also, ask for help in getting your room set up. Family members are

great. You can do your room alone, but it is so much easier to get it done with more than one person. If

you have older kids like I do, mine are 10 and 12, bring them along with you to help. They can then

appreciate the value of what teachers go through from year to year and they (and others) will gain a

sense of respect for the teachers in their classroom. Do not get too overwhelmed with it. Start with the

basics. At this point, you probably know what you are going to teach from your principal. Make sure that

your room has print rich material up. What print rich means are things such as vocabulary and pictures

that are related to the subject matter that you are teaching. Make your material bright and colorful.

Make it inviting. You want to have your students and parents engaged the minute they come into the

room. A misconception about your room is that you have to have 100% of the room done by Open

House. That is not true. Though you do not want to have a messy room, you want to make sure that

your room is clean and organized. Make a list of things that you want to have done by the time Open

House comes. Many teachers right it on the board big and bold so they can see what they are doing.

After you have done that, make another list of things that you need to do after the Open House is done.

Usually after open house, you will have some time to finish your room. However, make sure you get as

much done as possible because most of your time after open house is paper work. Like most of my

teacher friends tell me, simplicity to your room is best. Less can be more.

Knowing your Students

Grab a list of your students and place nameplates on the tables so they can see where they will be

sitting. Another good tip for knowing your students is making postcards and sending them out to the

students. I had a friend write a note saying how excited they were about the new year and the class. If

you are tech savy, you can create a video postcard and send it via email to parents. You can also write

the link to your video on the postcard so students can go to it. This can let the students know how into

technology you are. You can also create a teacher website as well.

Room Environment, Tour, and Parents

One advice I received from a friend is to not say a word when Open House starts. Have the parents and

take a tour of your room. Have a demo of what you will be learning in class. Make brochures about your

subject and classroom to give to parents. Have a section were parents can sign in (with their name,

phone number and email addresses) and a place where they can place the supplies. Be prepared

because they will bring them. Have a print out of the school supply list so parents that have not bought

supplies can take them home. It would be great to even circle the main supplies they need for the first

day or week. You will have parents that may have not had time or cannot afford to get all the supplies

they need so this will help. Having a section where parents can sign up and volunteer for classroom

helpers is great too. You can also have a section in your room where parents can donate items that you

think your classroom may need. Extra tissues, glue, scissors, etc. I even have had parents donate money

to Studies Weekly subscriptions for the class. Some have even given money just to be donated to the

class. Remember it does not hurt to ask. Remember keep your Open House simple. You do not have to

say a lot for the first meet and greet. Schedule a time where you can meet with all your parents to

discuss what your classroom expectations are and what the students (and even the parents) are

expected to do.

It is always ok to ask for help. After all, you are new and all the veteran teachers were new at some

point. You are not alone in this. Remember the key to everything is to just plan plan plan. Good luck and

have a great year.

Bradford Harris Instructional Technology Specialist