It is always fascinating to imagine what it would be like to walk in another person’s shoes, to see what a day in one’s life would consist of.  During Cherry Hill East’s Back to School Night on September 20, 2012, the people walking in others’ shoes happened to the parents, walking the same footsteps their child takes every day.

Parents arrived to East that night eager to meet their children’s teachers to acquire knowledge on the different courses their child has throughout the day. Back to School Night was a helpful event that informed parents how each class will prepare their child for future endeavors. According to Mr. Camacho, father of Marissa Camacho at East, “Back to school night gave a decent idea of what a student’s day would be like and I got to meet teachers and understand the curriculums for the year.” Other parents noted it’s important for them to be involved in their children’s educations.

Although Back to School Night was informative, parents had a number of challenges during the night as well. Dr. Hollenberg, parent of Emma Hollenberg at East, said, “The hardest part of Back to School Night was finding the classes and accidently walking up the wrong staircase to a class.” Parents shared that the location of classrooms were not always convenient and also it was hard for some parents to stay focused on getting to each class because the night was a social event for some.

Parents desired more time for back to school night. It was overall rushed and became a blur of movements. Dr. Hollenberg also said, “Back to school night is not enough time to travel to your child’s classes, meet the teachers, and understand the basis of their school year. The alternative would be to have back to school night for four hours. There was not enough travel time between classes.”  Other parents agreed that they would recommend more time for back to school night.

Besides parents briskly going to their child’s classes, students from the SGA helped guide parents in the correct direction to make sure parents knew where they were going. Furthermore, small choral groups at East sang to bring merriment to the school and represent the musical department. Cheerleaders also appeared at back to school night. Back to school night was full of spirit, comradeship, and East expressed to the parents how it is truly a community.

This night is different because there is not another time during the year when all parents can congregate together and personally meet their student’s teachers. Mrs. Kaufman, mother of a student at East, said, “When I went home from back to school night I compared my impressions of the classes and teachers with my son.” Feedback particularly from Back to School Night was vital for communication between parents, teachers, and students. Overall, Back to School Night was a valuable experience for parents and made them feel more comfortable about their child’s upcoming year.