Our elementary school brought in an education expert last week to help parents like me get more involved with our kids learning, and I was hoping to come away with some hands-on tips for helping my kids with their homework.

His main point was that teachers empowered by parents are more effective than just teachers and parents working individually. He encouraged us to communicate with our teachers, ask questions, visit classes, and provide them with feedback.

I spoke with Bridgett's teacher and several other parents afterwards, and we all agreed that it would be helpful to have a website where information could be shared. Websites are "my thing" so I offered to set up a website with a blog so that her teacher could post announcements, assignments, etc. It will also give parents and students a chance to ask for clarification on assignments, or to discuss anything that's not clear.

The url is http://www.myclassweb.com, and I'm hoping it will be a useful tool for other teachers at our school - and even for other schools around the nation/world.