For me, back to school truly begins after Parents Night at our school. It’s a night I look forward to with each start of each new back to school year. I feel so much more prepared and ready after attending Parents Night because I feel that I have a solid handle on the school year and what is to be expected.
This year will mark our 5th Parents Night for us. Since we have 4 sons that are literally back to back to back to back grade-wise, it’s a wonderful opportunity for us to get a true, sneak peek as to what a “day in the life” at school is like for each of our sons. They all have classes near each other, so it’s even more special for me and my husband to see how their daily routines and schedules coincide.
I’ll never forget going to my William’s Parents Night (our oldest) when he was in Kindergarten. I was so excited and so nervous and so anxious. I had never really been in the school before, other than a quick Kindergarten tour. I didn’t know his teacher well. I didn’t know the principal or the secretary at all. I didn’t know what was expected of him throughout the year. I felt very unknown about our school and its teachers and even the kids in his class before Parents Night. I even brought a notebook with me that night to take notes because I really wanted to make sure I remembered everything said and discussed. My husband… he’s a good man, he just held my hand. That 1st Parents Night for me was a true eye opener. I didn’t have to take notes at all! His Kindergarten teacher had beautiful folders filled with information and lists and advice and contact information. I was BEYOND impressed. She had included lists of words that they should know by the end of the year (encouraging us to make flash cards, etc). She had the principal come in and introduce himself to the “new” parents of the Kindergarteners. It was a really wonderful experience for me and my husband.
Just like that, I felt like William’s year was going to be great. And it was.
Parents Night throughout the years has been the same for all of my sons. As the boys have gotten older, they’ve become more and more important for me because I love to see what kinds of things they will be learning throughout the year and what I can be doing at home to help make everything easier.
There are so many things to learn at Parents Night and it’s important to be there to take in all the information:
1. You meet you child’s teacher. This woman or man has your child for 6+ hours a day. It’s a wonderful opportunity to introduce yourself and share some additional tidbits about your child. One thing that’s always been important for me on Parents Night is to make sure I reiterate that with 4 sons, they all have unique and different personalities. I like to make sure I find out how they’re doing so far in the school year, too.
2. I love seeing where my sons sit in class and where they physically are throughout the day. It’s cute to see them in their special worlds at school. At home, it’s so different – everyone kind of does their own thing. At school, it’s different… it’s just a wonderful way to see a side of them that you don’t see at home – actually in their classroom.
3. PTO opportunities. We’re VERY big into the PTO at our school. My husband is the VP of Fundraising. We learned about the PTO at our first Parents Night and knew we wanted to be involved and wanted to volunteer our time. I love having the opportunity to hear and learn about ways to help enhance and make the school a better place through PTO opportunities.
4. Meeting the parents of kids in my sons classes. My sons come home from school talking about kids in their classes that they’re friends with. Since I work full-time, it’s not always easy for me to pick the boys up from school. I don’t get to meet their friends and their parents. I love having the opportunity to meet face to face at Parents Night.
5. I love learning about what my sons curriculum will be throughout the year. It’s a great opportunity to have everything laid out for you easily and thoroughly at Parents Night. What books they will be reading. What science experiments they will be doing. What math equations they will be taught. What social studies lessons they will be learning. I love seeing what they have coming and it really does make it an easier experience at home when I know ahead of time.
6. It’s also amazing to meet the additional staff at the school. We’re very lucky to have 4 teachers this year for the boys that we love! I know everyone is going to have a great year. But it’s also great to have a meet and greet with other staff at the school that is part of your child’s educational team – principal, specialty teachers (art, music, physical education, etc), librarian, aides and team teachers. I have really enjoyed this piece because I really get a full spectrum of the staff.
To read more about preparing your child for school and why it’s important to attend Parents Night and Back to School Nights, head over to National Education Association for more information.
This post reflects a collaboration with the National Education Association’s Raise Your Hand for Student Success campaign. All thoughts and opinions are, of course, my own.
