When I was a child I knew from early years that education was important.
My father grew up on a farm in southern Alberta and down the road was the one-room school. When he was a preschooler he would often disappear from the yard and my grandmother knew exactly where to find him. The school had a cloakroom at the back behind the classroom and there would be my dad, crouched down and pretending he was a student. This was a boy who couldn't wait to be old enough to go to school. When he was an adult he had the opportunity to teach a class on journalism at Carleton University. Of all the work he ever did, teaching that class was a highlight for him.
So, you can imagine that I grew up knowing that school and education were important. My dad set up an expectation that we would finish school. He believed it was a privilege and one we should embrace. When parents set up a home environment that encourages learning and education, the kids understand that school matters.
Another way we can encourage schooling is to let our kids take responsibility for their own learning by making certain they have the resources they need and support them doing their learning on their own.
In some situations, having the right resources can be a challenge. Not everyone has a home computer. In that case, teach your child to use the library. Making regular visits to the local library and taking the child to the library when he needs to look something up offers him the ability to figure things out on his own.
Remember, your child's homework is his homework. Don't do it for him. Typing his paper while he sleeps, doing the lion's share of the work on a project or doing his research for him are not helpful or appropriate. Be supportive but remember you made it through school, it's now his turn.
Creating an environment that encourages learning is not an onerous task. It's simply a case of seeing the opportunities for learning. Every night you cook dinner and this is a great opportunity to help kids learn. Get them to read the recipe and figure out what ingredients you need. So now they are not only reading but also doing so out loud and having to comprehend the material in order to find all the necessary components. When you are measuring you can have them figure out how much sugar you would need if you were going to halve the recipe. Cooking is also a good time talk about nutrition.
Children like to learn and to explore. When we do everything for them and give them all the answers to their questions they stop being curious. When we encourage them to research, to try to figure out answers, to do things on their own, their curiosity grows and their interest in learning and school increases. It's the difference between giving them a fish and teaching them how to fish.
It's also important that we become involved in their education. When they see us doing our bit, they understand that their education is important to us. Attend the parent-teacher nights and get to know the teachers. If there are opportunities to help the teacher in the classroom, become involved.
This does not have to be as time-consuming as it sounds. Sometimes a teacher occasionally needs someone to make a few phone calls or copy some worksheets.
The parent committees in the school are important. If at all possible attend the meetings. These committees help you to know what's going on in the school and give you the extra benefit of not only meeting other parents but also some of the school personnel.
Being involved with your child's education gives you information you may need if your child is having a problem. If you have already met the teacher and the school principal at parent-teacher nights and/or the parent committee meetings, it's much easier to go to the school to discuss any challenges your child may be having.
Studies show that parent involvement in a child's education will have a positive effect on their school experience.
Setting up a home environment that encourages learning prepares them for schoolwork.
These actions will significantly reduce the possibility that your child will drop out of school.
Kathy Lynn is a parenting expert who is a professional speaker and author of Vive la Différence, Who's In Charge Anyway? and But Nobody Told Me I'd Ever Have to Leave Home. parentingtoday.ca.
