When your child enters kindergarten, it's almost a natural inclination to want to be at school to witness her first school experiences. Being a volunteer, a parent-teacher organization member and tutor are good ways to know what your child is being taught first-hand. After the fifth grade, however, many parents just stop being involved. Regardless of how long it's been since you last helped with a school fair or sat down to help her do her math, there's no better time than now to start.
One of the biggest obstacles parents have when it comes to educational involvement is knowing how and when to help. Most parents are willing to help but dread going to the school and not being welcomed. To make sure that your presence is a positive involvement and not interference, pay attention to the communication materials sent home with your child. When schools see opportunities or have a need for parent participation, they typically send home letters, announcements and possibly e-mails inviting you to help.
Almost all American public schools have an open door policy, which allows parents to come and volunteer at the school at will. You are encouraged to participate in fundraisers, attend sporting events and chaperon at events. Be careful, however, not to assume that your contributions give your child an unfair advantage. When you find yourself sharing negative comments about your child's classmates and teachers, you are interfering. When you become upset because your child didn't receive recognition he didn't deserve, you might be interfering with his educational experience.
Finding that balance between being positively involved in your child's education and interfering with his education is easy to do when you keep the focus on your child. What your child wants more than anything is your support. He wants to know that the challenges and studies that are presented to him as important are important to you as well.