George Pawlas's
PR for PRincipals...
Make Sure the
Open House Experience
Is a Good One
Making a good first impression should be the goal of every teacher. So no matter how your school organizes its open house, there is one sure way to succeed in making a great first impression: plan the event from a parent's point of view.
So, what do parents expect of an open house?
- Parents expect to be greeted at the door with a friendly "welcome" from the teacher.
- Name tags and markers help speed up introductions and enable all in attendance to get to know one another.
- Parents expect the classroom to be clean and orderly; that will signal that their child is learning in a quality environment.
- Parents will be interested in seeing an example or two of their children's work. One year the fifth-grade teachers in one of my schools had students prepare life-sized paper cutouts of themselves. As those cutouts sat at their desks, they were "dressed" in clothes the parents should recognize -- and most did.
- Parents will want to see a display of textbooks and other materials that are being used in the classroom.
- Signup sheets should be available so parents can schedule a one-on-one conference with the teacher; other signup sheets might be available for parents who will be willing to go along on field trips or assist in other ways.
- If allowed, involve the students in the open house. They can answer questions, show how computers are used, and be available to provide other assistance.
Read more practical tips from George Pawlas
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See our archive of 41 more articles like this one.
More Articles by George Pawlas
Explore this series of nine articles by George Pawlas:
- Share the Pride: Six "Pride Statements" Get Year Off to a Great Start
- Getting the Most Out of Parent-Teacher Conferences
- Newsletters: An Essential Tool for Every Principal
- Building Positive Relationships With the Media
- The Benefits of Being an MBWA Principal
- More Tips for Great Newsletters
- 50 Million Students Can't Be Wrong: Improving Perceptions of Your School
- Support Personnel Are P.R. People Too
- Create a School Profile Brochure
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