IRVINE- On Wednesday, September 24, Beckman held Back to School Night in order to help teachers and parents communicate. At Back to School Night, parents went through their children’s schedules and visited each teacher's class for ten minutes. Most teachers discussed their class curriculum, the California state standards, units to be studied this year, class procedures, and their expectations for their students.

In general, Back to School Night was considered a positive experience for most teachers. Mr. Hochschild, an English as a Second Language (ESL) and sophomore English Honors teacher, commented, “The overall energy of Back to School Night was very good. There was a lot of adrenaline pumping for the teachers.”

Mrs. Scott, an Earth Science teacher, also had a positive Back to School night experience. She commented, “I thought Back to School Night went very smoothly. I had pretty good attendance of parents.” She continued, “The energy of parents was high, and the parents seemed pleased that students were attending Beckman.”

By attending Back to School Night, many Patriot parents had the opportunity to experience a shortened version of the students’ first day of school. Hyung Sook Lee, mother of Tae Kim, a freshman at Beckman, commented, “The information teachers gave to parents at Back to School Night was extremely important. It gave me the opportunity to get to know some teachers and their teaching philosophies."

Having only ten minutes per class, most teachers felt rushed with their presentation. “Ten minutes per class is hardly enough time to say all that much,” commented Mr. Hochschild. He continued, “Some parents seemed dazed and confused because of the schedule.” Lee stated, “Most teachers were cut off mid-sentence when the bell rang. [The parents] had almost no time to ask questions.”

While there were obvious flaws in the program, Mrs. Smith commented, “[Back to School Nights] gives parents the opportunity to have a frame of reference when their student discusses what went on at school.” She continued, “I hope to see the parents again for report card night.” Back to School Night provided an opportunity for parent-teacher communication, which is considered crucial to a student’s success.