02.04.07
Why Educational Success Starts At Home
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First steps and early words lead many parents to believe that their gorgeous daughters and adorable son’s are the smartest babies ever. I for one have never questioned a parent speaking with pride about their child’s accomplishments. The achievements parents boast about are the early buds of learning preparing to bloom. Speaking proudly about early learning accomplishments when your child can hear you and see your joy for their development always leads to bigger and brighter accomplishments. It is so inspiring to see parents taking pride about children walking, talking, counting, and doing well.
As we all remember from our own childhood experiences, learning is a life long process. Our children require the same guidance that implemented lovingly, brought out the best in us. Now as parents we work everyday to instill positive qualities in our children.
For long term results these traits applied to children in age appropriate ways, can set the groundwork for well adjusted grownups.
Self-Discipline
Children who grow up saying Please, Thank You, Your Welcome, and Pardon Me, will have a clear understanding of manors and know that limits matter all the time. Understanding simple rules is the first major leap in childhood learning.
Responsibility
If you teach this trait in a way that is suited to your families life style such as a family pet, household chores, or children’s sports it is the greatest positive trait children can have. Be sure that they learn that they have to work hard and follow each task to its end. Make sure your child knows it is important to you that they do the best job possible. Give young children small jobs and be sure that they know your very proud of their learning the jobs. As they grow they will be ready to take on bigger tasks. Picking up toys and helping to put away clean clothes instills in children how important it is to keep things neat by putting them away. The Victorian maxim “A place for everything, and everything in it’s place.” is a reliable starting point. Adding structure such as scheduling activities and study time may help several children understand time management.
Education in your Household
Children ready for school do best when parents establish a positive involvement in the learning process. They learn more easily when parents and teachers work together. Meet with your child’s teacher t find out more about how you can help them succeed.
As school work becomes more challenging provide a quite place where your child can concentrate on school work at home. Create study openings on train or car rides to quiz math facts or spelling words. As you cook dinner review history facts and geography details as they relate to the food your cooking. All teachable moments are valuable if you welcome children into them because you are excited about sharing the information with them. Always praise your child for effort and success when learning new things. There are hundreds of positive simple statements such as, Great Job!, Well Done, Your smart, Very Cleaver.
Inspire children to go on to the next level of learning.
Even the smartest child is sure to find subjects and ideas that are hard to learn about and understand. When a child asks you, do not do the school work for them, but openly share encouragement and suggestions. This lovingly open guidance and open availability to help your children learn will always come to good results.
Pitfalls To Avoid
Sadly there are factors and events which might negatively impact learning and development.
If you as a parent believe that education is entirely the job of the school, then you risk teaching your children that what they do is not valued or important.
Being excessively critical will crush your child’s self-worth and undermine overall development. If you are disappointed with the marks a school paper or project earns be careful NOT to chastise your child. Admonish low quality work one time in a normal speaking voice with a fair tone is always sufficient, then never bring it up again.
Be sure to pay equal attention to each child as it relates to school work, parents who focus on one child’s success while ignoring or berating another child, will reap the bitterness they sew.
If your family is going through an unstable time be sure to communicate this to the teacher and the school staff who already have programs fro children from homes in transition or in crisis. If a divorce or break up has a clear negative result in a child’s school work seek out counseling for that child to work past the issue.
Do not tell your children if you as a parent have feelings of inadequacy as it relates to education. If your grades are something your ashamed of that is your problem and it is not fair to Burdon your children with your troubles.
Learning Goals
Each month set a reachable learning goal for your children then be sure to reward them if they meet the goal books are the best prize for school goals, but any item or activity your children value will do nicely.
If your job or trade requires additional learning share this journey with your children, model for them your good study habits and your children will learn by example.
Encourage children into situations (library reading programs exc . . ) where they can have a go at teaching younger children simple projects.
Find out what kind of student you child is;
Visual, learns by seeing and processing
Kinetic, learns best if movement is related to each task.
Tactile, learns with objects to touch that relate to each lesson.
Auditory, learns best when material is read aloud.
There are other styles of learning you may hear about as your child grows and each lets you as a parent know how best to teach your child.
If your company supports a take your children to work program bring them with you for half a day, and show them how they things they are learning help you to earn the living tat supports them. It is believed that a full day at work in these programs leaves children whit no time to process what they have seen at your work place so be sure that your child’s school knows you will be taking them to a half day of classes as your job permits.
Learning should be fun and children need to know you support their efforts and that what they learn will have a positive impact on their lives. By age 12 children should have a healthy respect for knowledge and a clear understanding of how much effort it takes to reach goals. Success in life begins at home, so do everything you can to make your child’s school years remarkable and positive!
Copywrited By Lariena J. Nokes-Moser February 4 2007
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