Back to school is just around the corner! I remember this being about the time I started to have… dun. dun. dun THE DREAMS. Based on my extensive research through google and dream mastery they all meant one thing. You are feeling utterly, and desperately, UNPREPARED. One of my most frequent back to school dreams was the horror of losing a front tooth. Literally, felt SO REAL. So to all of my dear teacher friends, if you’re having THOSE dreams again. Know you are not alone, and like it always does… things work out. It’s going to be a great year.
In hopes of relieving some stress, I wanted to share some of my favorite resources that come into play in that back to school season. Mainly my, Meet the Teacher, and Classroom Information forms.
I found that when the countdown begins to the first day of school, I simply do not have time to create a beautiful flipbook or foldable for my student’s parents to be used at the Open House, or Meet the Teacher! I also didn’t want to sacrifice the time it would take to type up a letter that simply wouldn’t be read. Thus the need for an easy to read, and especially easy to print welcome letter came into play.
Prior to using this format, I had tried a welcome packet. This packet included 6 pages of 11 point font, single-spaced lines, nuggets of gold. Literally, anything you wanted to know, or would ever want to know was included in the packet. Apparently, no one wanted to know about it though…
I also tried the flipbook. If you have the time, and patience for this route, kudos to you. It is a beautiful way to display your information and I applaud any and all teachers that go above and beyond in this way. Unfortunately, I’m a procrastinator at heart, and this relationship with flipbooks was set up for failure from the moment I committed to it.
After a few years of striking out, I decided to try and find a happy medium. I needed something that was simple, concise and not just easy to read but visually pleasing in a way it was fun to read. I also REALLY wanted it to be on a one-page spread. That way when parents or students left the Meet the Teacher or Open House, they had everything they needed on ONE page.
After a bit of trial and error, and some effort to format everything to fit in an eye-catching way. I was finally able to come up with a couple of fun options that you can use, and EDIT to your own needs.
I highly encourage you to use a Meet the Teacher for both your students and parents. It is a great way to make an awesome first impression by controlling what is impressed upon them. It allows you to make connections and become more than just a teacher to them. Another minor benefit, not to be looked over… It’s a fun, non-intrusive way to give them personalized gift ideas. We’re talking drinks, pens, books…etc. Another fun option is to add a QR code to your class wishlist to one of the squares. I’m yet to meet a parent or guardian that doesn’t appreciate this or feel strong enough to raise a voice against it. After all, I think we all have enough teacher mugs in our cupboards. However, I always welcome more 😀
Meet The Teacher and Classroom Information Google Compatible:
My newest addition to this type of resource compatible with google slides. It is also one of the first color resources I’ve ever created. If you’ve been here long you know I like my printer-friendly resources. For those of you that are like me in this sense, don’t fret. There is a printer friendly option for every one of the color pages created. For those of you ready to write off the printer-friendly options and are all for team color, remember you can print the Gray Scale versions on colored paper unique to your classroom theme to really give the page a fun pop. I always used Astro Brights and they were always a hit!
The Meet the Teacher and the Classroom Information Page can be purchased separately, but I always advise to save and go with the bundle. The two of these together printed double-sided on a single piece of paper allow for a beautiful and complete classroom form.
With this bundle you receive:
Meet the Teacher:
- 4 pages total. (2 color, and 2 gray-scale)
- 2 Different layouts. One uses Icons for the favorite things section, the other uses words.
- All of the text you see in COMPLETELY editable.
- Mock Version: I’ve included a mock-up of how I would use this resource, however, due to all the text being completely editable, you can customize this to your needs.
- Due to the nature of copyright, I can’t allow you the ability to change or move any of the clipart.
If you like the idea of this form…. This FREE and exclusive companion activity for onlemonlane.com members will make you LOVE it.
This form is so much fun and can be used as a form for parents, AND your students. I thought that a quick get to know your teacher activity is exactly what this needed to be complete. This activity would be a great 1st day of school activity. If I were using it, I would have the meet the teacher form, and this activity as the bell-work assigned for when students entered the classroom. It lends itself perfectly for that first formal introduction at the sound of that first bell!
Simply stated, students will complete this form while they research everything you have placed on the form. Students will find connections, think of a questions they still have, find something they will never see eye to eye on with you, and better yet, read between the lines and make an inference that must be backed up with evidence from the text. Don’t like what I have… no worries. Again, all the text on this page can be completely edited to your own needs.
Classroom Information Page:
The classroom information page is similar to syllabi or syllabus. On this page, you will include the basics of your classroom: Schedule, rules, consequences, grading, homework, contact information, and policies. Again all the text you see on the page is completely editable, allowing you to customize that page to your own needs.
This page comes with 2 different layouts. One with the editable pie chart, and the other using that space for text. Any of the squares can be used as text or you can even insert an image. I love a good ol’ classroom information page because it really makes you summarize. What’re the most important things that parents and teachers NEED to know. I also love an infographic approach to displaying information that can be a little dry. Best part, it can be read and comprehended in a short amount of time with ease.
Another Meet the Teacher Classroom Information bundle you might be interested in is this little beauty. For my team color friends, enter colored paper.
Meet The Teacher and Classroom Information Powerpoint Compatible:
With this option, you get a completely different style that feels more classic to the classroom. This format is editable through Powerpoint and is available gives you 3 different templates. 1 per meet the teacher and 2 per classroom information. This product is editable through Power-Points and has been well-loved by a lot of teachers. Which I can’t think of a more esteemed group to back a product.
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