Parents, the most important teachers

Absolutely!  All other teachers, good or bad will come and go.  Parents are there for the duration.  Parents who are committed to being involved in their child’s education on a daily basis have a profound impact on what the child learns and the child’s attitude towards education. There is no doubt parents can be the most important educators in their child's life.  Parents just need the commitment and a little bit of help to accomplish this goal.

 

While most parents realize this, it is quite a challenge to have meaningful educational interaction with your child or children every day.  Many parents really want to get actively involved but think:

 

“I don’t have the time.”

 

“I don’t know what to do.”

 

“My child just won’t sit down and do work with me.”

Others think...

 

“I really don’t enjoy doing this.”

 

“Isn’t this the teacher’s job?”

 

“I’ll get a tutor.”

 

“I would not even know where to begin.”

 

The list goes on and on!

This page is designed for you to have meaningful educational interaction with your child on a daily basis. Consider these points and start working on it to have the best results: 

• Focus on creating educational dialogue between you and your child. 

 

• Quickly assess what your child knows,and figure out you child needs to learn.

• Create the repetition your child needs to ensure success, complete it with opportunities for positive feedback.

 

• Create a variety of opportunities to challenge your child to think, problem solve and verbalize. 

 

• Learn more about what your child knows and how to add to the depth of knowledge.

 

• If your child pretty bright but not really excelling with school work?  In this situation, most children don't have the confidence necessary to achieve or they are bored. First assess what your child knows or needs to learn, then goes a step further by helping your child to create the repetition opportunities that are so important to make certain your child has mastered key concepts.  This repetition plus the positive feedback you provide will really increase confidence levels.  

 

• Most bright children love competition and being challenged.  These students get bored when they are not challenged, quite frankly.  How many smart and talented children have muddled their way through school only to accomplish great things later in life once they were really challenged?  Challenge your child in so many different ways. These challenges and the learning that comes will allow your child to really understand how talented they are, how much they can do, figure out or accomplish.  Your positive feedback only adds to this belief. 

 

• Talk about an increase in confidence! Everything changes for the student once the belief of "I can't" or "I'm bored," turns into "I can." 

 

• Is your child a challenged student?  create a positive and supportive learning atmosphere and all the repetition necessary to help your child move forward.  

 

                      In my professional career, I have been exposed to a wide variety of educational philosophies.  I have used my experience and learning to create this page.  While teaching school, I always wondered why more parents were not actively involved in helping their children learn and develop.  Once I became a parent, with all the responsibilities that go with it, I realized how difficult, time consuming and tough it is.  You need to be motivated daily or most every day and so does your child.  This knocks out most families right there.  If you are like me, you want to help your children be more prepared for school but sitting down for an hour or so each night with 1, 2 maybe 3 kids… well, this is a huge challenge.

 

Once you consider these points, you will be shocked at how simple, fun and rewarding it is to be so actively involved in your child’s education.  Your views on teaching and the role you can play in your child’s education will change forever.  You will see teaching opportunities everywhere you go and within many things you do each day. A ride in the car, a walk down the street, eating meals, these are all educational opportunities once you know how to take advantage.  You will be shocked how much you can accomplish in so little time.

Life is so busy and the demands on time for everyone are greater than ever.  Travel, one parent families, two income families are just a few of the issues challenging parents these days.  Children now are involved in so many activities, this can complicate learning as well.  In some families, the grandparents or a full-time care giver, handle many of the day to day responsibilities.  While all this is occurring, the demands placed on students in the classroom are also increasing.  If a family does not have a plan to spend time on education, the student will fall behind.  This places greater stress on all involved.

 Through your efforts, your child will be prepared for the challenges that will eventually come in school.  You will see the confidence level rise in your child.  This will occur because the repetition and challenges you create along with the positive feedback you provide will help your child to know he/she is prepared for most anything to come in school.