The district will host all open houses for all grades through the end of this week. 

“As an elementary teacher, we usually have majority of our parents come to open house,” second grade teacher Jodi Roper said. “I think it is very important to have parents in the schools. It builds community with parents, teachers and students.”

At the high school level, there is a decrease in parent interaction. 

“Most of the parents who come to open house have freshmen students from that class,” art teacher Genifer Best said. “I have never had more than five or six parents come.”

Open houses give students the opportunity to share their work with parents along with allowing teachers time to explain their class to parents. They can also act as a way for parents to learn how their student is doing.

“As a teacher, I enjoy open house because it helps me to understand my students by meeting their parents,” Best said. “As the parent of a high school student, I enjoy looking at the classrooms and hearing the teacher’s description of their classes and activities.”

As new ways to talk to teachers become more prevalent, many students and teachers believe that open houses have become pointless. Open houses have become more of a staple of the school year than anything else. 

“This is the first district where I’ve taught that we have had open house,” third grade teacher Gary Brown said. “I find that parents and students enjoy the open houses, but they don’t help parents understand where their children are at the stage of the school year in which they occur.”

Despite this, some teachers still support open houses at every level. 

“Open houses allow both parties to put names to faces, establish relationships and open up communication,” Best said. “I think when parents are connected in some way to the school, the school becomes a better place. Teachers feel they have an ally, students feel they have family support and interest.”