Open House: Do you judge your kid's teacher by the classroom?

CubbyMama2

I've been teaching 9 years, and I've always felt like Open House is (or "should be") just a chance for parents to come in and see the work their kids have done all year.  So many other teachers go ALL OUT, though--"I'm turning my classroom into the solar system and each desk into a rocket ship!" etc.--and I always felt like my classroom was boring by comparison.  Then again, I'm just not willing to spend dozens of hours of my personal time creating a big show...and it really bugs me that so many teachers literally spend hours of instructional time, for weeks leading up to Open House, doing "cute projects" just for the purpose of decorating the room and impressing the parents.

Now that I jobshare, I've done whatever my partners normally do in their existing classrooms, but I always wonder if parents look at these incredible rooms and think, "Awesome--they've transformed the room into a jungle and are taking me on a safari...but, uh, has my kid learned to read or anything this year??"  Maybe I'm just bitter because I'm not Martha Stewart enough to achieve that level of presentation even if I tried   but man...for a profession that constantly complains we don't have enough time to teach all the standards, I have to bite my tongue when everyone around me is spending weeks doing these elaborate Open House themes/projects that have zero to do with their grade level standards.

Do you think less of your kid's teacher if his/her classroom isn't amazing for Open House? 

black.kat

I hear you loud and clear!  I taught preschool and the other teacher at our preschool always did over the top, developmentally INappropriate themes and decor in her room on a weekly basis throughout the year... I got so sick and tired of our boss knowing that what she was doing was a "show" but then not saying anything because it all looked so nice to parents.  Makes me want to PUKE.

She had this "theme" where the kids would travel the world - learn to count in Chinese, dress up like they live in Poland... but yet you ask any of her four year olds where THEY live and to count to 20 (some to even count to 10) and NOT ONE could do it.  And she didn't get it, like at ALL, how she wasn't teaching them jack about anything except for wasting their time!!!

So, no I never went to put on a show, but dang it my kids were reaching their fullest potential, and if some weren't then I was working my butt off to get them there.  It pays in the end.  I know how hard it is, but how your students learn and how much they love and respect you is what counts - bottom line.  And, if you have that, then even the parents perspective of you doesn't even matter.

black.kat

Sorry, one more thing... I was always the type that when I sat down with my parents, I was honest about the differences between me and the other teacher, and I explained how my approach is very individualized and developmentally appropriate (and no I didn't care that I was potentially making her look like the crappy teacher she was... it was her doing, not mine).  Then I would show them exact observations and classwork to show how their child was excelling in the classroom and had some nice open-ended artwork (with explanation of the process of this art) and give them things to really look at to see the development of THEIR child, not the whole class, not the pretty things I came up with to make and set up.  I always recieved great response from my parents.  I am sure that is like something you do as well.

jayhawk25

Our school just has an Open house the week before school starts, not during the school year.  I do sheepishly admit that I was a little worried when I first saw DS's classroom and it didn't seem as prepared or inviting to the kids, especially compared to the other rooms. I guess I initially worried that his teacher wasn't enthusiuastic about teaching or something.

I quickly realized how silly my reasoning was, because she has been a fantastic teacher for DS and I saw how much she cared about her students.  The over the top decorating that you're describing seems ridiculous, and I wouldn't  be impressed by it.  Like you said, I'd be upset they were using class time to do all that.  If the substance is there, there's no reason to put on a show.

shouldbworkin

Our open house is in Sept, so there isn't too much to see from the kids.  This year DS's teacher has a frog theme and has lots of froggy stuff in the room.  I'm guessing she uses it every year.  It's cute, but I didn't notice last year that his room didn't have a theme.  I mostly care that there are just interesting things in the room for the kids to see/do throughout the year. 

mollynpatrick

I was an elementary (mostly K, 1 and 2) teacher for nine years before I resigned this year to SAH just so you know where I am coming from .... I wouldn't say I *judge* teachers by the classroom decor at open house but I think it would be fair to say that I would be disappointed to walk into a classroom with minimal decor as a parent. I don't think it's an all or nothing type of issue. It's totally possible to have your students create dynamic projects/art while meeting standards. Just because your classroom looks great for Open House doesn't mean that you haven't been teaching your students anything for the last three weeks .... FWIW, I think that there isn't nearly enough time spent cutting, gluing, creating in the lower grades. I feel the same way about play.

For the record I thought my room always looked pretty damn good for open house (I wasn't turning the desks into rocket ships or anything though) AND my kids did very, very well academically - nothing less would have been tolerated at my school. There was quite a bit of pressure to do it all - and we did!

honeybee111

Eh, I teach 5th grade, and I think the whole creative show thing is more for the lower grades.  Our open house is in the spring and it's more of a "show what you've learned this year".  I have student portfolios that I keep for each kid with their best work.  The day before open house, each student goes through their portfolio and picks what they want to show their parents.  For the class decor, I have a few other things displayed - for our art unit, we do self portraits which I hang up, and I have the parents try to guess their kid(that's always a big hit), and I also have a center with one of the science experiments we've done that the kids can guide their parents through.  My open house is student guided - all my students know that they are responsible for giving their parents a "tour" of what 5th grade is like.  I like how it creates dialogue between the kids and their parents about what they've learned this year and promotes the kids having ownership of what they've learned.  I don't have a massive crazy theme for my room or anything like that, but my parents have always complimented me about my open house, so I don't feel the need to create some elaborate work specifically for open house.

juniper19

I've never heard of a teacher turning their classroom into some kind of theme.  I would expect the classroom to look the same as it does on any average school day.  I would be really weirded out by any of the displays you've described. 

So I'd expect to see a job chart and an organized library of books.  Maybe a list of writing and math strategies. A word wall. Just a nice, organized place without too many distractions where I think my child can learn. 

FriskyPanda

If the room appeared messy and disorganized , yes I would be judging.  I would expect a teacher to be showing what the kids have learned, showing off projects that were part of the curriculum and be able to explain where the kids are academically.  I'd want to know the environment my kid is in on a daily basis, not a done up room.

veloelle

I don't want my child's room to look any different on open house than any other day. I'd rather talk to her about my child and curriculum.

superslug

Not really, my mom is the director of a preschool and she had a teacher who was great at decorating, but absolutely horrible with the kids (obviously she didn't last long) so looks can be deceiving. An over the top room would actually make me wonder if it would be more of a distraction to the students, so maybe I would judge that.

SpartanGirl

I've never heard of a teacher doing themes for open house - honestly it sounds strange to me. lol!

I wouldn't judge a teacher by how their room looks.  Our "open house" is before the school year starts.  DD's teacher is a first year teacher so the room was pretty bare bones when we visited.  I figured he was still setting up and getting a feel for things.  At fall conferences the room was more decorated - the kids had artwork on the wall, there was a counting wall to the 100th day of school, a word wall, etc.  In contrast, the previous K teacher's room was very cluttered - piles of stuff all over the room.  While it wasn't my style, she was a great teacher. 

I guess what I'm long-windedly trying to say is that I don't really care what the room looks like as long as the kids are learning. 

Glendi428

If the room was unorganized and cluttered, then yes, I might judge... but lacking in Pinterest-type crafts that I know don't really have any bearing on my child's learning? Not at all.

and now for something completely different

No, I don't really notice the classroom.

Are there enough desks for the children?

Are there teaching tools (books, art supplies, etc)?

Is it somewhat organized and clean?

That's all I would pay attention to at a quick glance. Basically, does it look like a normal classroom? lol

DandelionMom

Of course not.  I actually find those OTT rooms really distracting and I wonder how comfortable the kids can feel in them. 

LenMont

DS isn't in school yet, but I know I'll be way more interested in what the teacher actually has to say about curriculum.  I'm a hs teacher and I work on our district's k-12 curriculum team so I'll have a pretty good idea of what he should be doing....if that's not happening but stupid rocket ships are, I'll be annoyed.

Littlejen22

I would be appalled by a teacher that turned a desk into a rocket ship and then I stop by to pick up my sick kid another day and see that it is boring as hell and they suck as a teacher (ok, exaggeration).  I think most parents can see through the BS and figure out who is a good teacher and who is not, I don't know you but from what I see on here I would be SHOCKED if your student's parents were not thrilled to have you, seriously.

iceefreeze

I'm not at that point since my DD isn't in school yet, but I can't see myself judging a classroom because there is no rocket ship or something similar. 

If the room looked unfriendly/stark (no kids work around the room, no sign of what the kids are currently working on or being taught, etc.) or completely unorganized and a giant mess I might question it. But I also try to go by the saying "never judge a book by its cover"

REOM

Honestly, YES. You can tell a lot about what happens in a classroom by what is hanging on the walls.

I'm not talking about teacher created 'decorations', which doesn't impress me. I'm looking for a language rich environment, word wall, defined centers, organized library, and student work on display. 

Teaching with a theme doesn't necessarily mean that the teacher WASN'T following standards. There are many ways to hit those standards and make it fun. 

I would equally judge a teacher whose room was bare and/or boring as I would someone who turned her desk into a rocket ship. But then again, I have been teaching for awhile, and am probably my child's teacher's worst nightmare 

 

Jen&Len

I don't think I even noticed the decor during open house.  I think I looked mainly at layout/space and the toys they had (I didn't want too many, if any electronic type toys).  Now that I think back, the room had very little decor.  And as the school year went by, I now know why.  DS's teachers hang the kids' artwork and projects on the walls for decoration for a week or two before handing them over to the parents.

CubbyMama2

Aw, thanks, littlejen!

I get what some of you are saying about awesome room not necessarily being = to wasting instructional time.  In my experience, though, I have seen a TON of that.  For example, one of my kindergarten partners did the outer space thing.  In half-day kinder, there was a solar system art project every single day for about 3 weeks, to the point where there wasn't time for much else...and the solar system isn't even remotely related to any of our kindergarten standards.  She just thought it would be "cute," and most of the projects had no reading or writing component and were put together by parent helpers so they looked perfect.

I do totally admire teachers who take the time to really get into the curriculum and reflect it in their classrooms, and if ancient Greece is a huge 6th grade standard and they put all the students' projects out and decorate based on that theme for Open House, I don't see anything wrong with that.  It's just the sort of Pinterest-ification (even before Pinterest, though) of Open House that irks me, because it feels like everyone has to "keep up with the Joneses" (and it is definitely more that way in primary grades--maybe that's why I find it weird, because I was originally an upper-grade teacher).

Chapter79

mollynpatrick:

FWIW, I think that there isn't nearly enough time spent cutting, gluing, creating in the lower grades. I feel the same way about play.

You'd be happy to know my daughter spends a ton of time doing the above, she's in K. They do a LOTTTT of gluing, cutting, crafts and creativity.  This past week they were working on addition for the 2nd week in a row and used cutting and gluing to help (i.e. cut and glued 2 apples, then 2 more in the next column to = 4 apples. Stuff like that. Almost daily!

To the original OP-
No, I would NEVER judge a teacher for the way their room looked at orientation/back to school night. I mean, unless it was gross? Decoration wise, no. We actually had ours in September, so the year was barely started. On each seat/table (no desks in my DD's class, just 3 big tables and chairs) was a piece of paper shaped like a bus or sun, and we were able to write our kids a note that they would see the next day. That was the extent of her "decorating" and I thought it was a cute idea. We moreso learned about her (the teacher) and what she would be teaching and how. What were expected of the kids, and of us, etc.

She's a WONDERFUL teacher

MrsSR

As a teacher I can tell you that I'm expected to go all out for Open House.  It's a big event and one that attracts new families to our school.

I can't imagine NOT going all out for the biggest day of the school year!

Chapter79

MrsSR:

As a teacher I can tell you that I'm expected to go all out for Open House.  It's a big event and one that attracts new families to our school.

I can't imagine NOT going all out for the biggest day of the school year!

Well see, maybe open house/orientation/back to school night is different in different areas? Why would you have to attract new families? When we have ours, it's after school has started and the ones attending already go to the school, so there wouldn't be impressing anyone 'new'?

MrsSR

Chapter79:

MrsSR:

As a teacher I can tell you that I'm expected to go all out for Open House.  It's a big event and one that attracts new families to our school.

I can't imagine NOT going all out for the biggest day of the school year!

Well see, maybe open house/orientation/back to school night is different in different areas? Why would you have to attract new families? When we have ours, it's after school has started and the ones attending already go to the school, so there wouldn't be impressing anyone 'new'?

Open House is in Jan.  We are a private school and invite the area to open house.

lollitots

Do I judge? Sadly, yes. DD #2's kindergarten teacher hasn't put anything up in her room. Not the alphabet above the white board, no pictures, nothing. She put up a place to put the kids artwork, but never bothered to put up any artwork. I feel there should be something interesting for the kids at this age to see. Her lack of interest in teaching (which we now can see since it is mid-year) could be seen by her lack of any effort over her room. Last year DD #1's kindergarten teacher had a messy disorganized room. Guess what, it spilled over into her teaching. Too over-the-top not related to lessons also would send up red flags. I would expect a visually interesting room (to the grade level), things relating to current areas of study and a certain amout of order. I don't expect amazing, just some effort.