Parent of the week
If you are a parent who has made a
positive impact on your child’s education, please leave your story here. I will
be honoring One Parent per week, beginning April 1st, to stress the need for more parents to become positive
influences in their child's life. You see, it is not only up to your child's teacher to
educate him/her, but to you; the Parents. It is up to you to help them with their school work and teach them the very little things that are most important; character, obedience, responsibility, and sacrifice, to name a few. It just so happens that Parents are the most influential guides in a child's life. You are responsible for approximately 90% of what your child learns. Approximately 5% of what he or she learns will come from a teacher or tutor, another 3% will
come from someone outside of the home and the remaining 2% will come from a
television or some other media.What you can do to enhance your child's learning ability
- Read together or listen to him read
- Provide structure; discipline (not abuse), chores, entertainment, etc.
- Participate in school activities and in their interests
- Teach the importance of getting ahead in class
- Provide alternatives such as sports or extracurricular activities for extremely active children "Stop medicating your kids"
Richard W. Riley
U.S. Secretary of Education
It is crucial to focus on what is most important. I have had the pleasure of watching children collaborate in a group. In listening to them, I noticed that some of them, of course, new more than others which is, in fact extremely normal. But let's ask ourselves this question; Why do some children know more than others? Is it because some of them were born with a stroke of genius and others were not so lucky? Is it because some of them have taken a more unique interest in learning? Or maybe it's just because some parents take out more time with their children than others. Well let me tell you; it happens to be a little of all three.
The difference is; you are actually in control of what your child learns. You are a teacher too! I watched a movie the other that was based on the story of a single mother of two boys. The boys were just the same as any other boys; they loved to play games, watch television, and spend time with their friends. The mother was poor and found it hard to maintain steady employment. She struggled daily with the thought of having to raise her children alone and constantly be there for them. She knew that if she gave up, they would neither be able to provide for themselves nor would they become successful. She even went as far as taking a step to admit herself into a mental facility because she was experiencing feelings of suicide. Finally, she decided she could no longer feel sorry for herself and snapped out of her depression ultimately changing her situation. Not only did she put her best foot forward by getting a better job, but she provided structure for her boys that would ensure a better life for them; telling them there would only be about 2 or 3 hours of TV per week. They were to spend more time on homework and learning and less time playing and lollygagging Best of all; she instructed each of them to read a couple of books per week and provide an essay of what they had learned. She chose to be proactive about the situation. She could have sat back and watched them suffer in school and learn the minimum, but she decided that was not enough. Her boys grew to become a doctor and an engineer.
This was before the benefit of AR (Accelerated Reader) or the many computer programs that are now available for kids. That just goes to show that "there is NO excuse." If parents take the time to think "outside of the box" and stop worrying about what they don't have or can't do, they can learn to visualize and use what resources are available to them; no matter how limited they may be.
So, I said all of that to say this,"You are a teacher too." Our children are our future and there is more than one way to skin a cat. Our level of learning is more progressed than you think. You will find out when you decide to "go that extra mile for your child."
The difference is; you are actually in control of what your child learns. You are a teacher too! I watched a movie the other that was based on the story of a single mother of two boys. The boys were just the same as any other boys; they loved to play games, watch television, and spend time with their friends. The mother was poor and found it hard to maintain steady employment. She struggled daily with the thought of having to raise her children alone and constantly be there for them. She knew that if she gave up, they would neither be able to provide for themselves nor would they become successful. She even went as far as taking a step to admit herself into a mental facility because she was experiencing feelings of suicide. Finally, she decided she could no longer feel sorry for herself and snapped out of her depression ultimately changing her situation. Not only did she put her best foot forward by getting a better job, but she provided structure for her boys that would ensure a better life for them; telling them there would only be about 2 or 3 hours of TV per week. They were to spend more time on homework and learning and less time playing and lollygagging Best of all; she instructed each of them to read a couple of books per week and provide an essay of what they had learned. She chose to be proactive about the situation. She could have sat back and watched them suffer in school and learn the minimum, but she decided that was not enough. Her boys grew to become a doctor and an engineer.
This was before the benefit of AR (Accelerated Reader) or the many computer programs that are now available for kids. That just goes to show that "there is NO excuse." If parents take the time to think "outside of the box" and stop worrying about what they don't have or can't do, they can learn to visualize and use what resources are available to them; no matter how limited they may be.
So, I said all of that to say this,"You are a teacher too." Our children are our future and there is more than one way to skin a cat. Our level of learning is more progressed than you think. You will find out when you decide to "go that extra mile for your child."
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