5 Quick Ways to Get Involved in Your Child’s Education This Year

The kids have left the building. Put your feet up, enjoy that second cup of coffee and relax. But while you're taking that breather, take a second to think ahead to the school year.

We all hear how important it is to be involved in your kids' education, but where do you start? We rounded up five ways for you to get involved that take 30 minutes or less.

1. Meet the teacher: 5 minutes. Yes, this sounds obvious, but it’s not just for kids who struggle in school. Know the people who are spending eight hours a day with your child, and getting involved in their lesson plans, field trips and class projects will come more easily. Start by dropping them a quick email: find contact info for Beachwood teachers here and Agnon teachers here.
2. Check for a class website: 2 minutes. Beachwood City Schools for their own webpage this school year, and a couple dozen teachers have already taken advantage of it, posting lesson plans, vocabulary and even “meet the teacher” pages.
3. Attend a school board meeting: as little as 30 minutes. Sure, they can be boring. But no one is stopping you from checking out early! have been attending the meeting and chatting with parents, and you'll want to know who you're voting for come November. Besides, you could see something . Check the agenda, go to watch the show and make it home in time for prime-time TV.
4. Join the PTO or PTA: 15 minutes. We know. After taking the kids to school, soccer practice, piano lessons, play dates and to the mall, who has time to bake four dozen cookies for a bake sale? But these groups have lots of ways to get involved —
5. Get with it: 10 minutes. Your kids are on social media; shouldn’t you know what the fuss is about? If you haven't already, create a quick profile at Facebook and Twitter — start with only your name and email, if you like — and follow your kids. If it all seems overwhelming, consider this: your school probably has a Facebook page (here’s one for Beachwood City Schools and for The Agnon School) and a Twitter account (again, @BeachwoodBison and @AgnonSchool). Start by following those — it’s a great way to connect to other parents and your school while you are feeling out the new technology.