As a parent, you want to know what’s going on in your child’s classroom. You may want to see how well they work independently, how they participate in group lessons, or how they socialize.
What better way to do this than to arrange a surprise visit?
Unlike a scheduled visit, a surprise visit to the classroom can give you insights into what your child’s average day looks like. You don’t just get to spend time with your child, but you also get to see your child’s teacher in action, how the students interact, and the way the classroom is organized.
However, as you might expect, unannounced classroom visits could put additional stress on the teacher as well as the students. You want to maintain a productive, positive relationship with your child’s teacher throughout the school year, so it’s important to plan the timing of your visit (and maybe even let them know at the beginning of the year that you’d like to make a few drop-ins).
There are certain times when a surprise classroom visit will give you a more cohesive look into life within your child’s classroom, without overwhelming the teacher. Here we’ll go through some of the best and worst times to show up in your child’s classroom unannounced.
The best times to show up for a surprise classroom visit
1. Classroom parties
This may seem counter-intuitive, because classroom parties are often an “all hands on deck” event — especially in elementary school and pre-K. But a surprise visit from a parent could be a welcome surprise. Parents can provide an additional set of hands to pass out juice and treats, talk with the children, and clean up after the event.
Classroom parties won’t give you an eye into what’s happening instructionally in the classroom, but they provide other benefits. You can use the time to see how your child interacts with their peers and their teacher, as well as how the teacher manages their class in a less structured environment.
2. Lunch time
If your goal in visiting is to meet with your child, lunch is a great opportunity. Many schools have an open door policy during the lunch hour; as long as you sign in at the front office, you don’t have to let the teacher know in advance that you’re coming for lunch.
This is another great time to see who your child’s friends are and how students interact as a whole. Just make sure you’re aware of the cafeteria expectations in terms of what food is allowed and what volume level is appropriate, and don’t get your child or other children too excited; this is hard for the class to recover from.
3. Center or station time
If you’re looking to get a sense of what instructional time looks like in your child’s classroom, consider dropping in when during a regular school day — particularly when students are at stations or learning centers.
When you arrive, you can ask which centers tend to be the most difficult for children and park yourself there as a helper or volunteer. This time will give you insight into the types of work children are expected to do, the culture of the classroom in general, and how your child approaches independent or unstructured tasks.
The worst times to show up for a surprise classroom visit
1. Test Days
It may seem like a good idea to show up unannounced on the day of a major test to give your child a last minute thumbs up, but this is a terrible idea! You may unintentionally stress your child out more, and having an unexpected classroom visitor on the day of a major test can change the dynamic of the day. It can even make it more challenging for the teacher to maintain the day’s tight schedule.
2. The first two months of school
Many teachers prefer that parents don’t visit unannounced during the first couple of months of school. This is because they often want time to get to know their students, they want to create a classroom community, and they want to establish rules, routines, and procedures before they bring other adults into the mix.
If this is your teacher’s policy, understand the rationale behind it and respect it, then ask how you can help after the first few months have passed. Additionally, if you want to meet with your child’s teacher in the first month or two of school, you can ask about scheduling a parent-teacher conference.
3. Whole Class Instruction
Although it may be tempting to show up during a whole group reading lesson to see how your child participates and how the teacher teaches, this type of unannounced visit can send an entire class into a tailspin. Your child may get up to greet you, and this may be followed by other children doing the same. This interrupts the flow of the lesson and makes it difficult to get students back on track.
If you really want to see how your child participates in a whole group setting, speak to the teacher ahead of time instead. Perhaps you could come in to read a story, or to offer additional background support. By planning in advance for visits during whole class instruction, your child’s teacher can prepare the class, which will result in fewer disruptions.
Create an ongoing dialogue with your child’s teacher
Overall, you’ll get better results if you work with your child’s teacher. Speak with them early in the year to get a sense for whether they welcome unannounced visits and if they have specific requests around when not to visit. You can ask for the best times to come into the classroom and make sure you’re both on the same page regarding why you want to visit. If you have a super teacher, they’ll understand and work with you to find what works best for everyone.
Remember: policies vary from teacher to teacher and school to school. Directly asking what is most helpful for your child’s current classroom can only improve your relationship with the teacher and start your child off on the right foot!
