It’s back to school season, which means teachers everywhere are setting up classrooms and getting ready for the new year. At Momentous School, August means home visits: a week-long excursion visiting every student in his/her home.

These home visits are one of the most crucial elements of the family/school partnership that is fostered throughout the year. When teachers visit a student’s home, they are given a unique perspective that they wouldn’t otherwise have. They can see proud parents and family photos. They can picture where the student will do homework and eat meals. They can get a full sense of what the child’s life is like when he goes home. For parents, it’s an impactful experience as well. When they welcome teachers into their home, they know that learning is not something that only happens within the walls of the school. They see their teacher as a real person, someone who cares about their child and is invested in his education and future. And they build a relationship with the teacher that will carry them throughout the year.

From a school perspective, home visits are a way to get families and school staff ready to start a new year with excitement and anticipation. And this year as Momentous School welcomed several new teachers, it was an important opportunity for them to introduce themselves to families. (This year for the first time, a letter went home prior to home visits introducing the new teachers and explaining more about them, so that on the day of the home visit, families weren’t just sitting and staring at a stranger.)

Home visits serve as introductions, but they’re much more than that. They’re excitement builders. And we know that excitement is building! Here are just a few stories from teachers about this year’s visits:

When I arrived at Alyssa’s house she had written me a note that matched the one she received from me in the mail J. She was so excited to tell me about her summer reading and to share her favorite things with me. So sweet seeing these kids dressed up and excited for the school year! 

– Jessica Johnson, Third Grade

We had a 3 year old waiting on the porch and as we got closer to him he yelled with excitement (with arms opened) “WELCOME TO MY HOME!” His mom mentioned that he had been practicing for days! It was very cute! 

– Juanita Cabrales, Three-Year-Olds

Love this sign at the “M” family’s house today. Count down to school starting! 

–Kevin Roberts, Music

Our new third grade teacher, Jessica Johnson, says it best:

Conducting home visits for the first time has been a very memorable experience. Seeing my students all dressed up and excited to welcome me into their homes never gets old. Meeting them in this environment puts everything in perspective. The school year is long and students work very hard. It is expected that there will be hard days, but I am now truly able to personalize the child and depersonalize the behavior. I see where they are coming from, the support they have at home and I have a level of understanding that is unique for each child. I am so excited to see the class dynamics, and continue to build such special relationships.

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