As the saying goes, ‘Home is the First School and School is the Second Home’, a child’s education begins at home, where parents are their first teachers. Parents play a crucial role in shaping a child’s personality, character, habits, emotional development, etc. In fact, the best predictor of a student’s all-round success is the degree of involvement of parents in the child’s school life.
Your child, your precious possession! Our students, our assertive asset. Every parent wants the bestof everything for their child(ren) and so do we for our students. No doubt about it, but have we ever thought ‘what is the best for the child’? Sounds quite simple but it is quite a difficult question to answer! The ‘best’ as we see it, might not be the same for every child, nor might it be considered so by the other person. Here we face differences of opinions, the pull-back and the push-forward! Midway is where the calm lies, not too much and not too little.
The sphere of influence is two-way: school can recognize and celebrate each child’s individuality, while helping parents recognize their children as students to reinforce the extension of their learning at home too. The complex and quality dynamics which exist between home and school contribute to both parents and student satisfaction with the school and teachers, as well as increased student achievement. Teaching children is a shared responsibility between SCHOOL and HOME.
This does not mean that the parents must be pushy about their children’s performance at school. The aim is to instill confidence in children so that they have the potential to scale up with their individual and unique potential. Not the competition mentality but the “I can be better tomorrow, than what I am today.” The competition with one’s own self.
There is a positive way in interacting with your child when he / she gets home from school, the ‘www at school’ strategy: ‘What Went Well at school, today?’. This gives a positive vibe for the child to narrate all the good things that happened at school. Positivity works wonders!
The ‘Talk – Share – Encourage’ technique has also been found to render positive results. This technique enables parents to engage themselves with their children, daily.
‘TALK’ with your child about learning. Have regular two-way conversations about what your child is Thinking / Learning. ‘SHARE’ learning experiences with your child and ‘ENCOURAGE’ your child’s learning. ‘ENCOURAGE’ and NOT ‘PRESSURIZE’!
Role model a ‘Positive Attitude’ towards learning. Role model ‘Perseverance and Discipline’. Guide routines and set ‘Standards and Expectations’.
It has been proved that the right kind of parental support improves a child’s learning and results. This brings about a community of open-minded students and parents. The ultimate measure of success is improved achievement of the students.
The positive involvement of parents in their child’s school life ensures that they are successful in school, have higher self-esteem, better attendance and will be more motivated to learn. Parental involvement also benefits in creating a more supportive learning environment, which leads to better overall performance. Parent – Child – School, truly a ‘Magical Triangle’.