Go that extra mile for your child

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"

"The American family is the rock on which a solid education can be built. I have seen examples all over this nation where two-parent families, single parents, stepparents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles are providing strong families support for their children to learn. If families teach the love of learning, it can make all the difference in the world to their children."

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."

Many times as parents we run into the problem of not being able to properly assist our kids with their homework. For whatever reason; either we did not go as far in school as we desired to go or we just have not had that particular type of work in many years. Either way, it is frustrating! Going forward, we need someone to just give us some ideas on how to conquer this issue.

Well, as a mother, I came up with a solution to that problem. Some may not feel as if this will work for you or you may feel it was not the right way to handle it. Others may rave at the idea of "just having an idea". I say, “Desperate times deserve desperate measures.”

Anyway...

So my daughter brought home some math homework that she had no idea how to do. I took a look and it
 and what do you know? I didn't know how to do it either. Funny? Sad? Shameful?

At first, I was a bit embarrassed because even though I had a degree, I still did not remember how to do the homework she was doing because I had not seen it for years. So, what do I do? She had waited until just before going to bed to tell me this. I was sort of angry, but didn't want to show it. I gave her the “you know you are supposed to do your homework and ask me any questions by ? pm” speech. "Ok, now that all of that is over, how are you going to show her how to do this work?" I thought to myself. I panicked…my sister is a math teacher so, I can call her. Great, no problem!



















Ring….ring…..ring….no answer.

  
Quickly throwing my HTC mobile phone to the curb...I panicked more. I look at my daughter and began scolding her about the responsibility of taking notes and asking questions early and more importantly making sure that she ask question before she leaves school. “That teacher is there to help….” Then I stop and think to myself, “Besides the fact that she is falling asleep on me, this is doing her no good. She fully understands her mistake. Enough is enough. Either you let her go to bed and get a “0” on her homework once she gets to school (not a chance), you try to stay up and do it for her (completely out of the question), or figure out how to find a solution for learning how to do it.”


Ok, so let’s think, ah…”where is your book?” I asked my daughter. Duh. My heart smiles. Then, suddenly, she says, “we are not allowed to bring them home”. “In what world?” I reply. I am furious now. The panic sinks back in; just when I thought I had figured it all out, I realized that it is well passed her bed time now and we have no solution.

At the time, this was my first time running into this problem because my kids were much younger and they never had any work harder than simple mathematic problems. I think and think and think. While holding my head down and still gazing harshly at her worksheet, I see an extremely long website address at the bottom of the page. I think…hmmm. What is this? I figured it was a Website her teacher was on at some point during that day, but I type it in the Web address box anyway and low and behold appear a worksheet that looks just like the one I was holding in my hand. “Well, I’ll be.” I slowly turned the computer from my daughter and withheld my excitement because I was not sure exactly what I had stumbled upon.

Strolling down the Web page I saw another worksheet, except this one had red writing in the blank where the answers should go. “Could it be? I thought to myself. Could I have found the whole, entire worksheet, including an explanation of how to work the problem and the answers? Well, color me blue and call me Suzie! THERE IS A GOD!!!”

No, of course I know there’s a God. I was just thinking that loudly in my head as the sweat from the previous panic attack streamed down my face and trickled across my nose. See how easy it is to fall into the category to be prescribed Xanax or Prosac? NOT!!! It was short lived, believe me. :)

So, being the sweet, but responsible mother that I was, I decided not to allow my child to see that I had found the answers. Now, what would I have done if I had seen her running to get the computer every time she could not do her own work and there she would be sitting there with the answer sheet in front of her? No siree. I won’t have that!

Instead, I told her I had found an explanation of how to work the problem. Of course we had to work it a few times to get the answer I had seen so, we did that and we figured it out. HALLELUJAH! Thank you Jesus!!! (I am very spiritual by the way).

I was so relieved--we finished. Does anyone have a Tylenol? Lol I also incorporated a few learning strategies as we went. (I assumed her teacher had done the same, although she thought it was robbery to take notes, but who’s judging?)

I said ALL of that to say this. “Parents can teach too”. We just have to listen to our kids, take time to find out the problem, and know that to every problem-there IS a solution. Oh and as for the idea, LOOK IT UP! +Google  IT! DO SOMETHING!    There IS a teacher inside of you! Let that child know that there are several ways to handle a situation…and….Never Give up!

Useful links:
+IXL
+LearnFunGo