High School Open House: Observations Notebook
As your child nears the end of elementary school, you’ll likely find yourself going to one or more high school open houses to help them choose the best fit.
Open houses are a kind of reconnaissance exercise, so it can be extremely helpful to take notes on the pros and cons and overall atmosphere of each school you visit. Writing down your observations in the moment, or as soon as possible after the open house, allows you to refer to them later to make sure you don’t forget anything and to compare the schools you’ve visited more easily.
That’s precisely why we created this observations notebook, available in a version for parents and a version for students.
What to Do Before and After an Open House
This tool is designed to be used during an open house, but you can also prepare for the event ahead of time. This article suggests several ways to do this, including the following:
- Decide which schools to visit
- Talk to your child about what they expect from their high school, both in terms of practical elements like transportation and programs, and in terms of aspects such as extracurricular activities and facilities
- If your child is feeling stressed and anxious about starting high school, help them find ways to cope
Once you’ve visited all the schools on your list, it’s essential to take the time to sit down with your child and talk about how each school made them feel, whether any of them stood out, the pros and cons of each option, and so on. Before you know it, it’ll be time to make the final decision!
