SELMA — Lessons at school belong at home, too.

For teachers and parents or guardians to understand what occurs at school, teachers and principals open the classrooms at the beginning of the year for parents to take a peek at their students’ work.

“Open house is important for the teacher and the parent because we get to know the parent more and they get to know us more,” said Dazzirine Ishman, first grade teacher at Sophia P. Kingston Elementary.

Teachers display student art and completed worksheets for parents to see what the child has already learned this year, and to know the lessons students gain at school, so the vocabulary or math can be reinforced at home.

“We’re not only teaching the children,” Ishman said. “We’re teaching the parents how to teach the children at home. That way, when they’re helping them with a homework assignment, they will know the questions to ask the child to prompt them. It’s to allow them to actually see what is going on and to be able to help their children.”

Schools hold open house events a few weeks after the start of school so teachers can assess a child’s capabilities in comparison with what the student should be able to do at this point in his or her education.

This way, teachers have concrete examples of areas of improvement for the student so both parent and teacher can work together to bring the student to the proper level for a particular grade, Ishman said.

It is also a time for parents with children new to the school to tour the building and meet the faculty and staff.

“We have a lot of new kids, especially in pre-k and kindergarten,” said Robert Carter, Sophia P. Kingston Elementary principal. “Those parents are meeting the whole staff. They should take advantage of that time and really see the whole staff.”

First grade student Kahari Bailey, 6, is excited to show his parents what he has learned at school and plans to attend Sophia P. Kingston’s open house with them.

“I’m having fun at school,” Kahari said. “I play at school with the blocks and I can write all the letters down.”

Here are schedules for open houses:

•Cedar Park Elementary, today, 6 p.m.

•Sophia P. Kingston, Thursday, 5 p.m.

•Payne Elementary, Sept. 9, 6 p.m.

•School of Discovery Genesis Center, Sept. 14, 6 p.m.

Byrd, Knox, and Meadowview elementary schools have yet to set a date. Clark Elementary officials did not respond to calls by The Selma Times-Journal before press time.

Selma High School held its open house Aug. 24.