Perhaps learning geometry by dancing to the tune of &uot;Brick House&uot; is a bit unconventional &045;&045; but it just might work.

On Thursday night, dozens of parents took some of their precious off-work time to attend the Parent University sponsored by the Natchez-Adams School District.

Parent University is designed to teach parents tips on how to help their children do better in school.

All participants attended an assembly in which McLaurin Elementary Principal Karen Tutor covered some of those tips.

The topics of the night’s short breakout sessions included reading, math for primary school students, the Mississippi Curriculum Test, benchmarks, Subject Area Testing and community involvement.

And apparently, the presenters made it fun and engaging for participating parents.

&uot;I have not been in class in 25 years … and I’ve never had so much fun,&uot; one parent said following the geometry dance.

We believe the district needs to hold such a &uot;university&uot; at least twice a year in order to give parents the latest information on how they can give their children the academic edge.

We applaud the parents who took the time and effort to attend Parent University and who, in innumerable other ways, help their children succeed in school each and every day.

And we implore other parents to take such steps as reading to their children, assigning their children more responsibilities and setting up a homework time.

Consider the costs if we don’t &045;&045;

both to our children’s education and the future of our community as a whole.