I can’t fit in the attached desks. Otherwise I would go

I have a disability and can't make it to the classrooms in time. I am NOT going in and asking for accommodations. In previous years I've gone and felt it was important to show my face and try to understand what the expectations are for each class but in tye end, the system is pretty convoluted and nothing I learned at btsn helped me help my child at home so now I stay home.

Anonymous wrote: to put names to faces and also since the teachers are showing up I think the parents should too.

Exactly. It would be basic courtesy, except that I actually like the energy of the new school year and I look forward to seeing my kid's teachers!
My oldest graduated some years ago, and now my younger kid is in high school. Except for Covid, I have never missed a BTSN.

The HS one is not worth it.

Gaithersburg HS cluster is having a joint one with the middle schools - food trucks and other resources will be there. Sounds interesting!

I always go but the MS and HS teacher sessions are way, way too brief. And it feels intentional to avoid questions. Too much time wasted with all the school admin intros and PTA stuff. That could be an email or a video.

Anonymous wrote:Get your best walking or running shoes on before you attend a HS BtS night. Those buildings are huge.

One year I had to skip my usual evening walk to attend, and found I’d hit my step goal anyway by the end of the night!

It definitely made me a bit more sympathetic to my DD’s complaints about her crazy schedule (and the occasional tardies).

Stopped going in HS. Absolute waste of time. Spent more time trying to park and get around the school than getting any meaningful information from the teachers.

to put names to faces and also since the teachers are showing up I think the parents should too.

Anonymous wrote:My kids are in ES. I stopped going because it was a waste of time. They'd jam all the parents of the grade in one classroom and present a generic powerpoint and that's it. I go to the Open House before school starts to actually meet the teachers and have a conversation with them.

We are always on vacation during open house, so BTSN is our only chance to see the classroom. It's an hour out of our lives, and I like seeing where my elementary schooler will be spending a good chunk of their waking hours over the next 9 months.

Once you get to middle school, you don't have the occasional "class party" or whatever so BTSN is basically the only opportunity to meet your kid's teachers (put faces to names) and see the classrooms. I imagine I'll be less interested when kid is in HS, but I enjoy it for now.

Get your best walking or running shoes on before you attend a HS BtS night. Those buildings are huge.

My kids are in ES. I stopped going because it was a waste of time. They'd jam all the parents of the grade in one classroom and present a generic powerpoint and that's it. I go to the Open House before school starts to actually meet the teachers and have a conversation with them.

I attend them but I think format is so brief and crammed that as a parent, you don't get a lot of value from the hour or so of time you invest in the experience.

I think elementary is the most valuable, followed by middle and high school being the least valuable. I can sort of see the value of running through your kids' schedule at the secondary level, but given that you're spending so much time on the logistics of moving from classroom to classroom (and getting lost along the way) only for the teacher to breathlessly and double-speed attempt to talk through their syllabus, it seems like it's a setup to fail.

I like to go. It's a long night, but it's just once a year, and it gives me some insight into my kid's teachers, classrooms, and getting around the building overall.

On another forum, discussion about Back to School night:
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1224368.page

How has your experience been with back to school night in MCPS, in ES, MS or HS?
Do you attend if not, why not?