Back-to-School Parent Night: Don't Feel Like Going? Here's Why You Should! by Kimberly Johnson

If your child is like mine, the first couple weeks of school are filled with little to no information about what is actually going on at school. Back-to-school night allows you the opportunity to step into your child's day-to-day world, put faces to the names you hear about (if you're so fortunate to hear anything!), get a feel for their routine and ask their teachers general questions (save child-specific ones for parent-teacher conferences).

Most back-to-school nights are child-free events and begin with an introduction of administration and staff in the cafeteria or gymnasium. You'll hear briefly about the Parent Teacher Association/Organization (PTO/PTA) or other opportunities and programs available throughout the year. I urge you to seriously consider becoming involved in something at your child's school – research shows that parent involvement helps students and schools thrive!

Once introductions are complete, you'll likely go to your child's classroom. Sit in your child's seat to allow the teacher to put a parent's face to their name. Take full advantage of this opportunity to familiarize yourself with the people and places that occupy your child's day.

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