Mind you, these are not a list of
gripes, or an unfiltered telling off of parents. Quite the contrary. Below you
will find constructive thoughts that veteran teachers shared with me, as a way
to improve the educational impact a child has throughout the course of their
schooling. This is not, of course, teachers advising you on how to raise your
child. We aren’t doing that. We are simply offering ways to improve your
child’s education in the time they are both in and not in school, in a manner
than benefits both the family and the student.
- Teach your children to be prepared;
it’s not just for the Boy Scouts.
- Education that stops when the school
day ends is an incomplete education. Kids who do not continue their school work
and learning outside of school — including reading, reviewing the days work and
talking with their parents about what they learned that day, leads to a lack of
retention by the students and an under-appreciation for what was taught to them
that given day.
- On that note, the earlier this
reinforcement of a student’s education becomes part of a student’s life, there
is a greater degree to which students will get used to talking about what they
learned, engage in conversation and later, debate. This firmly entrenches what
they learned — math, english, science, social studies and the arts — into their
brains for longer learning retention.
- Think of a child’s day in this manner:
a 24 hour day can be broken down like this — eight hours of school, including
commute to and from, eight hours at home and eight hours of sleep, give or take
an hour here and there. The eight hours at school and the eight hours at home
need to be chock full of learning so that while sleeping, the thoughts are
processed and organized and problems solved, making the students stronger
learned in the long run.
While a short nap can help that, a good
night’s sleep is important too. Video games, latchkey kids and parents who do
not engage their children outside of school with educational reinforcement can
harm their kids education and their future
- Keep your kids aware of current events
and make it a point to watch the news together, so that students may tie things
learned in school to current events and contemporary issues. TV isn’t always a
bad thing; it is still an incredible learning tool when utilized properly.
- Ask your child each night “what did
you learn in school?” and have a conversation about their education. Show them
it is important to you.
- Have a problem with something a
teacher taught, or a grade your child got on a test? Go direct to the teacher;
we can work it out with you. If you don’t agree with us after talking, feel
free to ask our supervisor, but don’t jump to the supervisor without talking to
us first. We’re paid to communicate with parents and expect parents to reach
out if they disagree with us.
- Make sure your child comes to school
on time. Don’t drop your child off habitually late. They will learn that this
is a proper habit for the future and guess who will show up late to a job in a
few years?
- We can tell when a kid isn’t getting
love, food or attention at home. Do your job as parents and we will do ours as
teachers. Together, we will raise and teach your child to make this a better
world.
- Don’t try to get kids out of detention
or punishment. Allow your child to learn to accept consequences for their
actions/inactions. On that note, don’t make excuses for your children. They’ll
learn their parents will bail them out when needed, a habit that will follow
them into high school and beyond.
- Implement a consistent homework
routine that focuses on relearning what was taught that day, as well as staying
up-to-date on longer projects. This will make students more effective employees
down the road and keep them from working low wage jobs where these skills
aren’t needed. Parents, you want your kids to be successful, right? Then that
process starts when a child is enrolled in school.
- Don’t send your child to school when
they are sick. They won’t gain anything while sick, they’ll just make other
kids and teachers sick. This leads to a decrease in productivity and grades,
cutting back on the learning for all. Keep sick kids home until they are
symptom free.
- Please respond to our emails and phone
calls. We know you are busy (we’re busy too!) but show us you are concerned for
your child’s education as we are.
- Similarly, call and email us without
us reaching out first. If you have a concern, talk to us! Just remember that
most teachers have between 30-100 students and have a lot to juggle, just like
you. We will make the effort if you do!
- Advocate for your kids, but if they
get a bad grade because they didn’t do the work, don’t ask us to give them
extra chances or to raise their grade. This isn’t how the real world works. You
don’t do your work, you lose out. There’s a lesson to be learned here, not one
to be bargained with.
- Advocate for teachers. We invest our
time to educate your kids, so please invest some time to support teachers who
make a difference. All we want is what everyone wants — better working
standards, smaller classroom sizes, and better pay, all of which benefit
students in the long run.
- When your child struggles with a
subject, don’t balk because you don’t know the content or don’t find it
interesting. This is particularly true with math, as many find this topic
difficult compared to other subjects. If you find it difficult, children will
learn to have struggles in these subjects, because their parents avoided helping
them because they don’t understand it. Instead, push yourself to help them even
when the material may be tough. Giving up is a learned trait, but so is
perseverance.
- Talk positively about the gateways
that education opens up, including college, careers and how much money one
makes the more education they have. Avoid talking negatively about school, as
it doesn’t help them to succeed.
- There are bad presidents, bad lawyers,
bad chefs, bad engineers, bad CEOs and bad teachers. Don’t let the few bad
reflect on the good ones. We’re not all perfect, but we are all striving for
the same goal — a better world through education.
Writer: Pete Mason
Source: Huffpost Parents
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