Steps to Becoming A Partner In Your Child's Education
by David Drayfirth
http://www.fseducation.com
One of the ideas that has risen to renewed popularity in the
last few decades is the concept of parents and teachers
being partners in the education of children. It's an idea
with a great deal of merit. After all, you share a common
interest - the best possible education for your child.
Being a partner in your child's education means more than
helping with homework, or volunteering to chaperone school
field trips, though those can be a part of the equation. It
includes being aware of what your child is being taught in
school and by what methods. It requires that you support the
authority of the teacher in the classroom, without losing
sight of the needs of your child. It will often mean
stepping back, taking a deep breath, and letting your child
handle it himself - whether 'it' is a particularly tough
class project, or difficulty getting along with another
student.
That morning was one of many that I shared with my son's
class - and the classes of my other children. I was lucky
enough to have both the time and the willing cooperation of
a school that firmly believed in the parent-teacher
partnership as the most viable, effective form of education.
The school encouraged more than involvment from parents. It
demanded cooperation in a partnership between home and
school with the end result of the best education possible
for the children we were raising together.
All too often, parents and teachers lined up in camps on
opposite sides with regards to the children when both sets
of interested parties had the same goal - to help each child
achieve as much as possible in school. Instead of working
together, both parents and teachers tried to work in spite
of each other.
The unfortunate truth is that far too often, parents and
teachers develop an adversarial relationship in regards to
the education of their children. Parents feel teachers are
treating their children poorly. Teachers feel parents are
uncooperative with educational goals. Children, caught in
the middle, often exacerbate and foster the adversarial
roles, telling parents how the teacher 'picks on' them, and
the teacher that her parents 'wouldn't let me' do homework.
1. The single most important tool at your disposal is
communication. The easiest way to open communication with
your child's teacher is to call the school and ask to make
an appointment with him or her to discuss your child's
progress and needs. Your child doesn't need to be in trouble
for the teacher to agree to a meeting. In fact, arranging a
meeting before there are problems is one of the best things
that you can do.
2. Put together a list of questions that you need answered
regarding your child. Don't be afraid to ask specifically,
"What can I do at home to make your job of teaching my child
easier?" If you're not comfortable approaching the subject
directly, it will still help to have an idea what you want
to know.
Some specific questions that might concern you are: Why does
my child have so much homework? Why doesn't my child ever
have homework? Do you have any concerns about my child's
abilities or behaviors?
3. Keep the lines of communication open. You might ask to
arrange a weekly ten minute phone call just to catch up, or
request to be notified whenever your child misses a homework
assignment. In return, you can make a point of informing the
teacher of important or unusual events that might reflect in
classroom behavior.
4. Once you've opened the lines of communication, keep them
open. If the teacher is open to it, set up a means of
regular communication, or establish guidelines about when
the teacher will contact you - if your child fails a test?
if he hasn't turned in his homework x number of times? The
biggest mistake most parents make is ONLY having contact
with their child's teacher when problems have reached
critical mass, or through standard progress reports. The
single most important thing you can do to enhance your
child's education is staying in the loop. Be a partner in
his or her education by establishing a good relationship
with his teacher, and you'll see a remarkable improvement.
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