Parents Please Ask for Help!
Whether you are an educator, parent, or student it is okay to ask for help. If you read my previous blog, you know that the learning process needs the collaboration of the three groups – educators, parents, and students for it to be successful. Each member plays an integral part in the education process and if you are struggling with your role then it hurts the other members of the collaboration.
Reach Out to Your Children’s Teachers
Communicating with your children’s teachers is imperative. You need to know what is happening in the classroom so that you can support your children at home. One of the biggest reasons I see for students falling behind in school is that they are not practicing their learning goals at home. Think about it, children get about 20 to 40 minutes of independent work time at school to practice the skills and engage with the content that they are learning in class. As a parent, you should be ensuring that that is not the only practice they are receiving.
Sign Your Children Up for Study Groups
I get it, you are busy. Adding hours of school work to your already long to-do list may not be feasible. Even though I believe it is more effective when parents work with their children at home, I also know that study groups are a great alternative. Collaborate with other parents in your children’s school or your parents’ networks to create a study group, sign your children up for afterschool programs that have effective homework help programs, etc. If you need more ideas on how to create a study group, leave a comment on this blog post and I can create a post specifically on study groups.
Hire a Tutor
Of course, we know that tutors are great for children who have fallen behind. But a lot of high-achieving students have a tutor as well. I am a tutor, and I get a lot of clients who have fallen so far behind that I am only teaching remedial skills, nothing that they are currently learning in school. I remember once, my little brother got a tutor because he had a B average instead of an A. He had not fallen behind, but his mother recognized that he needed extra support to stay on top.
Again, parents please get your children they need to be an academic success. Work with your children’s teacher to help your children reach their learning goals. If you cannot help them personally, sign them up for study groups or even hire a tutor. For education to be a success, learning is not only up to the teacher. You must do your part.
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