Meet the teacher: Use our editable template to get to know your students.

You’re accomplishing a lot on Back to School Night. You may have just a short time to make a great first impression. Here’s a rundown of things to consider before hosting your Meet the Teacher Night. (PLUS, we’ll give you a copy of our FREE Meet the Teacher Template!)

Download our FREE Meet the Teacher Templates

Instead of worrying about your forms for Meet the Teacher Night, use ours instead. With TeacherMade, you can automate any form in your classroom.

- For elementary grades: https://app.teachermade.com/s/QHcKjz3DSqCbL2k9Om0j0w/
- For secondary grades: https://app.teachermade.com/s/N5gh7aF0QgCMPgjCNitIRQ/

Tips for a successful Meet the Teacher Night

Meet the Teacher Night can make any teacher nervous. What will parents think of me? How do I make a good first impression? Here are some tips to consider.

Have a plan

If you’re here, then you’re probably developing a plan. But being organized and having a plan is essential for the back-to-school night at school. This in-person meeting will give everyone a first impression of you. Every student’s story about school will be filtered through this first impression. No pressure, right?

Plan for parents and students

Because childcare can be challenging, plan to see parents and students on Back to School night. Having something simple that any age student can do while talking will make everyone feel more at ease. Set out a coloring page for students to complete.

Parent stations

This tip depends on the amount of time you have to work with, but parent stations can be great for covering a lot in a short amount of time. Once you greet parents, give the direction for them to complete activities at different stations. Here are some ideas for stations:

- Contact information collection
- Transportation info
- Student information collection
- Classroom supplies and wishlist
- Meet the teacher
- Volunteer sign-up

If you teach older students who change classes, you may only get a few minutes with your parents. If this is the case, have parents collect information at the front of the room and fill out forms as they are seating themselves.

Have student information forms ready to fill out

This is the time you can collect important information and then give information. So make it efficient. Have this accessible to parents as soon as they walk in. It can be on a table for them to grab, or you can digitize it.

If you digitize it, put the URL and QR code on your board. They can complete the form as they are sitting right in the classroom or complete it at home. This added flexibility can be so helpful to parents.

It also will give you some additional flexibility. Remember those times you typed the info into a huge spreadsheet? When you use an online form, you can simplify this process.

What to include on a Get to Know Your Teacher Form

If you have a process in place for your open house, you just have to create a Get to Kow Your Teacher Form. Here are a few things you may want to include:

- Welcome: A welcome note that is personalized sets the right tone.
- Class description: For upper grades, parents might not be fully aware of the details of your class. This can also be a good place to include any guiding philosophies about your class or age group.
- Grading policy: A quick description on how you calculate grades can prevent many questions throughout the year
- Classroom management policies: Include any relevant classroom management policies.
- About me: A short “About Me” section helps put a person to the name.
- Contact info: Give your contact information, and explain how you prefer to communicate.
- Link to class website: This is the perfect way to include all the information without overwhelming parents. Some parents want to know it all, and they can visit your class website.

Virtual open house

If your school does a virtual open house, then you will need to bring the classroom to your parents. It may be helpful to do a video introduction so parents can get to know the teacher in a more personal way. Include photos of your classroom so parents can get a sense of the learning environment.

A virtual open house is also a perfect time to get parents acquainted with the online resources you use. Give an online tour of the class website. Talk through any apps that you use frequently. Direct them to fill out the online form so that you can have all the essential information in one place.

Use TeacherMade for your open house

You’re juggling a lot at your open house, whether it’s virtual or in-person. TeacherMade converts the paper and PDF forms you use every year into a digital form. Simply upload your PDF to TeacherMade. Add fields for parents to type, and send the link out to parents. Forms can be completed in minutes, and you get the information instantly. It’s never been easier to convert your resources to digital!