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With the competitive world we live in today, children’s performance in school has become more and more important. Better grades lead to better opportunities for college and eventually for their careers. School standards are also constantly being raised. What may have been required of you in second grade, may be what is expected of your child in first grade. There are ways you can help your child make the most of their schooling experience, and to help them get ahead.
Be Involved
The best way to get your child interested in doing well in school is by being involved with the school yourself. Join the PTO, make donations, volunteer to help on field trips, in the classroom, or wherever you are needed. Let your child know their school is important to you.
Be involved with your children’s homework. This doesn’t mean do it for them, but show them how to find the answers to questions and problems. Review their homework before they turn it in. Go over papers with them that they bring home from school. Talk about the questions they got right as well as the ones they got wrong. See if they can find their mistakes.
Make sure there is open communication between you, your child and the teacher. Assure the teacher you want to know about any problems your child is having as well as the progress he or she is making. Ask for weekly reports.
Find out just what is expected from your child. Contact the principal for a copy of the school’s academic standards. This will help you understand what it is your child will be learning at what grade, and give you ideas on how you can supplement their education at home.
To help with the communication flow between teacher and student, let your child’s teacher get to know him or her. Create a “resume” for your child for the first day of school or even mail it to their teacher ahead of time. Let the teacher know about your child – favorite subject, how does your child learn best – watching or doing?, are there any specific learning problems your child has? Has there been a crisis at home that may effect your child’s performance? Some of this information may be in your child’s school records, but you never know if a teacher actually goes through those records, and this may you can make sure the teacher is aware. This also shows the teacher your interest in your child’s schooling.
Homework
Are you worried that you might not be able to help your child with their homework? There are plenty of resources available for both parents and students. Many schools now offer homework hotlines for students to call during certain hours for assistance. Check with your school to see if this is available – if it isn’t – why not help start a program? You can also check with your local library, or search the web. Recently many new websites have appeared that deal with giving students help with their homework. Some of these are interactive either with teachers or other students that can give immediate live help. Others work on a bulletin board or email system.
Getting Ahead
Giving your child extra “homework” in areas he or she needs help in, or just to get ahead, is a great way to help your child excel in school. You can look for homeschool resources on the web, many offer lessons you can simply download. You can also check with your child’s teacher or principal and ask what they recommend. Don’t overlook your local library either. They should have many resources for additional help with a variety of subjects. Visit a bookstore and look for books on education, or educational software. There are many educational software programs available that make learning fun.
The Basics
In order to give your child a good start each day, there are a few simple things you can do to make sure they start off right. First of all, make sure they get plenty of sleep. Set a regular bedtime and stick to it. Have children lay out there clothes the night before so they aren’t running around frantic in the morning trying to figure out what to wear. Keep their minds in a relaxed stable mode before school. Make sure they eat a healthy breakfast, this will give them the energy they need to pay attention in morning classes.
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