How “ready” does my room need to be for Meet the Teacher?

AHH! But my room isn't even done yet and Meet the Teacher is like tomorrow! 

Every year, I have grand ambitions for having that Pinterest-perfect classroom ready before a single student or family member steps through my doorway. But without fail, Meet the Teacher Night rolls around after a few days of sitting through Professional Development and I’ve barely had time to stand in my classroom, let alone make my visions come to life.

And every year, I felt so bummed that my classroom wasn’t done before families came for that first night.

Then I realized something: what exactly does “done” mean before the year has even started? I mean, how could it be “done” if we haven’t even started the year yet? There has to be a middle ground, right? My room shouldn’t have to look like an October classroom. (But it also shouldn’t look like it has been empty for two months collecting dust.)

So, instead of panic hot gluing decorations to bulletin board, I made two goals for my classroom on Meet the Teacher night:

Prepping the Classroom for Meet the Teacher: Clean & The Right Feel

• A Clean Room

  Ultimately, I want families to feel excited and comfortable entering a new school year in a new classroom, so I want the room to feel well cared for and safe. That means clutter is organized (cough, or hidden), walls are somewhat cohesive, and there is a general theme or feel.

  If the bulletin board backgrounds and boarders are up (and maybe with titles), that is plenty good - I don’t worry about the rest yet. If I’m feeling fancy, I might even print a paper that says “Coming Soon” to hang in the middle.

  All that stuff that isn’t organized yet? HIDE IT. As long as the room feels relatively neat and welcoming, families won’t notice if you don’t have your reading crate stools under the reading table yet or the table numbers hung.

  Get the basics done and don’t sweat the rest!

  My strategy for this?

  • Stand at your doorway and put on your New-Family-First-Day Goggles and look at the room. (Do this more than once as you continue prepping your room!)

  • Then create a “Must Do, Might Do List”: What are the things that are non-negotiable before Meet the Teacher Night? Those tasks go in the “Must Do” column. I MUST have the student desks in place and wiped off (because, gross). What are the things that would be nice, but not required? Those go in the “Might Do” column. For example, I MIGHT have table numbers above the student desks.

Here’s an example of my “Must Do Might Do” List. Grab one in my Meet The Teacher guide below!

• The Right “Feel”

  Now that you have a clean and clutter-free classroom, it’s time to think about the feel you want families to have as they enter your room. A major part of creating the right feel is to think about the lighting and music. Envision what atmosphere you want to create - happy and bright? Or maybe calm and soothing? Start there. Think about what lighting and music will accomplish that feel.

  Side note: when we talk about lighting and music, we need to consider the right feel AND the necessities of the event. Maybe you have dreamy lights and lamps that are perfect for snuggly reading corners, but they aren't quite bright enough for parent/grandparent eyes to be able to read information in the evening. Can you turn on just some of the overhead lights and still utilize your other lighting? Want music? Awesome! Just be conscious of it not playing too loudly in the background. (Starbucks, I’m looking at you.) Or too soft (Crickets are only fun outside, you know.) We are looking for enough sound to fill the silence in case there is a parent completing paperwork without much conversation going on, but not so loud that people will have to raise their voices to talk over it.

  So how do you choose the music? Think about the feel you’re going for. Want a calm room? Classical music might be a great choice. (Vitamin String Quartet would be great - they do covers of ALL kinds of great music without lyrics making it a great classroom option!) Hoping for summery fun? How about Island soundtracks! I personally like a happy/family vibe, so Jack Johnson's "Curious George" soundtrack is one of my favorites for this event.

There are a lot of things to think about when it comes to Meet the Teacher Night - paperwork, what you will wear, will you do gifts, etc - but a great place to start is with the classroom itself as the foundation. So, take this week to think about what feel you want to create and what your “Must Do “projects will be in order to have your room clean enough to welcome those families. Next week, we will tackle all of that paperwork (and how to make it more manageable).

You’ve got this.

Action Items:

• Make a “Must Do, Might Do List” of tasks to accomplish for your room

• Create a playlist for Meet the Teacher Night (Instrumental is safest, but preview all music completely before letting it play in the background - I learned this lesson the hard way!)

Looking for a complete Meet the Teacher Bundle?

Check out my Editable Meet the Teacher / Open House Forms and Resource Guide Bundle - All of the forms you need from planning Meet the Teacher to having a successful night PLUS a 30 page Resource Guide with all of my top tips!!

Forms included:

Teacher Checklist (1 pre-filled, 1 blank versions), Sign in Sheet (1 with two columns, 1 with three - both with editable headers), Meet the Teacher Page (1 example, 1 with pre-filled headers, 1 completely editable), Meet the Teacher Letter Page, Classroom Information (1 example, 1 with pre-filled headers, 1 completely editable), Student Information Page (3 versions), Volunteer Form (3 versions), Student Checklist (2 versions)

Did I mention ALL of the forms are editable??

Resource Guide Topics Covered:

• Preparing the Documents - What all documents do you actually need and what do you write on them?

• Preparing the Room - How do you make your room inviting, easy to navigate, and READY for families?

• Preparing the Teacher (YOU) - What are some tips to help YOU feel prepared from your wardrobe to what to actually say to parents to having a magic notebook?

I have taken everything I have learned during my decade in the classroom and my position working with new teachers and rolled it up into this one easy-to-use product.

Meet the Teacher is a big night! Let's start the year off on the right foot!

Looking for more tips? Check out these posts!