In many ways, entering high school can be as difficult for a child as the first day of kindergarten. There are many adjustments that children must make during the last years before graduation. Parents may also find that different roles and responsibilities are falling upon them. A high school open house is usually a school’s way to help enlighten everyone involved about the transition that is about to occur.
There tends to be a lot of stress on the importance of freshmen and their families attending the high school open house. Since these students are new to the school, there are a number of benefits that school faculty hope that they will receive from the experience. Knowledge of their new turf is one of them.
Movies tend to make comedy of new students lost in massive hallways as all the other students pass by bumping into them and ignoring them. Being lost in a new school is usually not very funny in real life, and can cause a child to suffer stress and anxiety. Allowing a child the opportunity to get familiar with the setting can greatly add to her confidence.
Students and their parents can also get to know the teachers. This will help to avoid any shock from strongly conflicting personalities. If it appears that a student and a particular teacher may not be a good match, the open house may afford an opportunity to change classes before any problems arise. Teachers may also shed insight into their teaching and classroom management strategies. This allows both parents and students to know what to expect from a certain class throughout the year.
The principal is another important figure who typically introduces herself at the high school open house. She will inform students and parents of how she plans to manage the school. She will likely share any procedural changes and perhaps introduce new staff members.
The principal and guidance counselors may also talk a lot about what they expect to see in the coming year and what parents and students should expect. Staff members may discuss trends and patterns that they have noticed over the years which negatively affect some students. These could include drugs, teenage pregnancy, or partying during exam periods. Staff members may give students and parents tips to avoid such pitfalls.
Rising seniors and their parents are another group who may be highly encouraged to attend the high school open house. The year leading to graduation is an important one, and special attention may be given to equipping seniors and their families with strategies for success. This year in a student’s life will generally require things, such as college applications and testing, that he has likely never dealt with. The more prepared he is, the better his last year of high school is likely to be.