Your schooler doesn't like them.

They are sobersides. They assign tasks and don't want students to pass exams.

Their lessons are boring sometimes. But students are okay with that: it's just a job, after all. Haters gonna hate, and teachers gonna teach, right?

Wrong.

Educators are not in every instance strict, dull, and obsessed with nothing but subjects they teach. They love control but they are not freaks willing to enslave all students; they follow the rules but are ready to break them if needed; their job is stressful but they are creative and not afraid of looking silly.

And yes, your kid's teachers use social media.

That's not a reason to send them a friend request once you've seen them on Facebook. But you might want to follow them on Twitter: it happens their accounts hide the info schoolers won't hear at lectures.

What could it be?

Technologies to use for better results

Educators are tech savvy today, and some help peers better use technologies in classrooms. So does Jeffrey Bradbury from Teacher Cast, for example. He tweets about how to engage students in digital learning, what resources and tools to use for better time-management and productivity in school, interesting activities to try during lessons, and more.

When you follow teachers who tweet about education technology, you can fairy make your kid's college life easier. You will know the latest ed tech trends, resources to avoid plagiarism in academia and deliver better results in academic writing, tools to manage costs for living, etc.

Sure, educators share some techs in classrooms but, as far as you understand, that's just the top of the iceberg.

So, stay tuned.

Great sources to boost inspiration and motivation

For teachers excited about what they do, Twitter becomes a platform to share this excitement with students. Take Ethan Sawyer, aka the College Essay Guy: interesting podcasts, inspiration quotes, controversial questions of the day to answer, nontrivial tips on academic writing, online courses for students and their parents… Are you sure your professor doesn't have an alike account that could motivate and allow your kid to learn TONS of new information?

Educators like Ethan share funny moments from their practice, reveal interesting facts on subjects they teach, help students fall in love with academic life and understand it's not about loans, stressful exams, and dull lectures only. When reading these teachers on Twitter, you see what a wonderful adventure years in school or college are.

Familiar things to see from a different perspective

Teachers' tweets can help to see favorite and so familiar things from a different perspective. What you missed while watching Harry Potter, details you didn't consider significant while reading Hemingway, secrets behind an examiner's success among classmates – students hardly discuss them during lectures but find online.

Charity Preston is among teachers tweeting on this and other topics you might find interesting. And what about your educators? Do they have Twitter accounts? Who knows, maybe they are writing about your schooler's area of interest right now.

Latest news to learn from the inside of education

If your teacher is like David Berliner or guys from Teach.com, their tweets will allow to stay tuned for the latest news on situation with the education system: what schools fail, where to look for the best scholarships, why public schools are in danger, what happens behind the scenes of your college, and more.

From Twitter, you and your schooler can learn why many teachers are leaving the professions, what they do to prevent cheating in the classroom (and why you should never cheat, by the way), how they joke (just try #teacherlife hashtag), what they consider top perks of being educators, how much excited they are about spring breaks (do you know that teachers don't have summer holidays?)…

To make a long story short, your teachers' tweets are a source of wisdom to absorb. Serious and not, they make you see that educators understand students' problems, love when graduates remember them, have feelings (oh, rly?), and are not for the money in this profession.

Behind the classroom, professors can teach students way more than at lectures. He who has eyes to see, let them see.