School Success
5 Things Parents Can Do to Give Their Children a Great Start To The School Year
1. Join the PTA/PTO or other parent organization at school. Research shows that your participation in school functions and organizations have a positive impact on your child’s performance in school. While we can only speculate why parent’s participation in events raises scores on tests, this is an easy thing to do that is totally within your control as a parent!
2. Get to Know Your Child’s Teacher(s). Teachers often have many children in their class, and know very little about each child’s family, beyond the “get to know you” questions asked in the first few days of school, or a brief shaking on hands on back-to-school night. If you can begin to develop a relationship with your child’s teacher, this can facilitate vital communication on how your child is doing, and lets the teacher know that you are both involved and concerned about your child’s performance and progress. Strange as it may seem, not every parent is deeply ivested in their child’s education, and your child’s teacher needs to know that you are one of the parents who care.
3. Develop a way to communicate with your child’s teacher – when needed. Every person prefers a different style of communication. Some prefer phone calls, others like email, still others prefer to communicate through notes or even a notebook sent back and forth from home to school. Ask your child’s teacher which method is easiest for them, and use that method. However, don’t abuse the communication channels, either. Sending daily emails and questions about every little thing will overwhelm the teacher, and certainly not endear you to them. But do communicate about homework issues, things going on at home that may be effecting a child’s school day, such as sickness, death of a pet, etc. The teacher will be more likely to be sympathetic to any external pressures your child has and less likely to punish them for an “off day” if they know there may be an underlying cause.
4. Strive for a casually friendly relationship with teachers and staff. You want to be able to ask a teacher about their own children, or their vacation, or other things to show you value them as a person, not just as your child’s instructor. An occassional treat or thank you note, or other short, thoughtful gesture goes a long way to helping you and the teacher work as a team for your child’s long term benefit. It doesn’t help you if the teachers and staff see you as a pushy, neurotic, and hovering parent- they will then start to assume that every time you talk to them you want something special, or that if you have a problem, you are just never satisified with anything. They have to take you seriously when you advocate for your child, and to be a successful advocate, you have to work towards building long term relationships with the faculty and staff.
5. Make sure your child is prepared for school. A teacher will have more time for teaching if your child always shows up prepared for class. This means homework done and in the proper spot, notes signed, having the tools they need, like pencils, etc., and come to school prepared to learn- fed, well rested, and otherwise ready to learn when they hit the classroom. Sure, kids will forget homework and other things at home. Kids will have all the things they need when they leave the house, but somehow, they evaporate on the bus ride to school. But you can save alot of hassle for everyone, especially your child, if you try to make sure they are prepared to learn and as well-organized as possible. (This is a real challenge for kids with ADHD, but small things to help preparedness go a long way, such as a pencil case in every three ring binder with mechanical pencils, always there and ready to go if the regular supplies have disappeared!)
