On Thursday April 9, M-A staff and teachers are holding M-A’s annual Open House. Although Open House offers parents a chance to see the work their students have done throughout the year, students, teachers and parents could better spend their time elsewhere.
First, Open House is scheduled at an inconvenient time for many families. Several students have extracurricular activities right after school and cannot go home before attending Open House. If these students choose to go to Open House, they have to sacrifice either time for homework or sleep, as they would return home late in the evening. Sophomore Madison Nelson agrees , “it is really a hassle when teachers offer extra credit (for participating in open house) because I don’t have time… I want to come and do the extra credit, but my parents don’t want to come because they have other things they have to worry about, such as my younger siblings.”
Secondly, while Open House should provide an ideal environment for parent teacher discussions about students’ performances, there are often too many people, creating a hectic atmosphere. Crowds of parents flow in and out of classrooms, making it chaotic for the teachers. On top of this, it is difficult for teachers to speak about particular students while other parents are within range of the conversation. If parents desire to speak to teachers about their students, they should schedule a parent teacher conference.
More importantly, students should be communicating with their parents about the work they are completing in school. If a parent wants to know the material a school is teaching their child, it should be easy for the child to pull out their work and show them. If a parent wishes to view their child’s grades, the parent should access School Loop, which gives a detailed account of a students’ academic performance. Because students are in high school, it is essential that they learn to advocate for themselves and speak to their parents regarding school, instead of waiting for their parents to contact their teachers.
In addition, the school must schedule a minimum day the following day to accommodate for the late hours teachers must work. Although a minimum day appeals to students, it is a hassle for teachers as it forces them shorten their lesson plans. As a result, this minimum day makes it difficult to teach material in such a short period of time.
One could argue that Open House offers future eighth graders a chance to view M-A’s classes. However, there are several other opportunities for them to do this, not during an open house. An example includes taking part in the shadow program, which would allow them to actually spend an entire day at M-A.
While the idea of Open House is commendable, as it attempts to get parents involved in student academics, or give eight graders a view of the school, it does not adequately fulfill these needs. In summary, Open House appears to achieve less than the desired effect.
