Success in School, Success in Life, Part 1
Success in school is important to every parent. The question is what does Success mean to you as a parent? If it means having a happy, healthy child who enjoys school and learning every day then we agree! However, only part of educational success can be achieved at school. The other part comes from home. Parents play a key role in their children’s education as well. From helping at homework time, to setting boundaries, to volunteering in school, the level of a parent’s involvement has been shown to be directly tied to student success. This is the first in a series of articles in which we’re going to talk about what can be done at home, and integrated into your routine, to help your child be successful every day at school and later in life.
Step 1- Talk to Your Child
This sounds so obvious and yet it’s surprisingly hard to do. Don’t just talk about the weather, talk to them about their goals and dreams. What do they want to do when they grow up? Talk about what steps they might take to help reach those goals.
Talk about how he feels about school. Which classes does he like? Which ones drive him crazy? What does he think about what goes on in school? How are his friends? Who are his friends? Take time out to sit down and have this conversation, you might be very surprised by what you learn.
While your child is talking, listen carefully for clues about what he or she is really feeling. Sometimes kids don’t want to tell you something directly because they don’t want to disappoint you. You will know through these conversations if you child is feeling overwhelmed, excited, unmotivated, bored or distracted.
Step 2- Talk to the Teachers
Another thing that sounds easy but is hard to actually do. Sometimes, as much as we want to, life carries us away. After you’ve really spoken with your child, ask the teacher what their perception is. A professional teacher may have some real insight into what goes on in the classroom that you may have missed or your child just might not understand. If you are comfortable, share with the teacher, help them to understand what your child is thinking and feeling.
Step 3- Help Your Child Build the Right Skills
There are 5 basic skills that we all must master (in one degree or another) in order to go through our adult lives. We all need to be able to:
Manage our time
Self-Motivate
Concentrate
Organize
Prioritize
The rest of this series will deal with each of these major skill sets one at a time. These are skills which will serve each child throughout their lifetime and are worth a careful look.
