EXTENSION REPORT

10 Ways for Parents to Help Teachers

As a parent, you are the most important influence in your child’s success in school and in life.  In this roll, you have a fresh opportunity everyday to get involved with your child.  Here are 10 tips you need to stay involved in the life of your child everyday and at the same time help teachers do their job of teaching.

Create a smooth takeoff each day.  Give your child a hug before she ventures out the door and you head to work.  Look her in the eye, and tell her how proud you are of her.  Your child’s self-confidence and security will help her do well both in school and in life.

Prepare for a happy landing at the end of the day.  Create a predictable ritual such as 10-20 minutes of listening to your child talk about his day. Do this before you check phone messages, read the mail, or start dinner that way you are fully present to listen.

Fill your child’s lunchbox with healthy snacks and lunches.  Have dinner at a reasonable hour and a healthy breakfast.  A well-balanced diet maximizes your child’s learning potential. Include calm, peaceful times in your children’s afternoons and evenings.  Maintain a schedule that allows them to go to school rested, and if they are sick, have a system in place so they are able to stay home.

Remember it’s your children’s homework, not yours.  Create a specific homework space that’s clutter-free and quiet.  Encourage editing and double-checking work, but allow your kids to make mistakes, as it’s the only way teachers can gauge if they understand the material.  It’s also how children learn responsibility for the quality of their work.

Fill your child’s life with love for learning by showing him your own curiosity, respecting his questions, and encouraging his efforts.

Fill your home with books to read, books simple to look at, and books that provide answers to life’s many questions.  The public or school library is an excellent resource.

Be a partner with your child’s teacher.  When you need to speak with him or her in reference to a specific concern with you child, do it privately by appointment, not in front of your child. 

Set up a system where routine items are easily located such as backpacks, shoes, signed notices.  Create a central calendar for upcoming events to avoid the unexpected.

Tuck a “love note” in your child’s lunch bag to let her know how special she is.  Knowing they are loved makes it easier for children to be kind to others.

Credit to the following: www.pta.org

Email address: cknowlto@aces.edu
Phone number: 937-7176 or 943-5611, 928-0860, ext. 2222

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