“It is not my job to be doing your homework for you. This is why we pay school fees and why your teachers get paid. Your teacher is meant to be teaching you and not me doing homework with you”.

Talking down/disrespectfully to your child’s teacher in front of them doesn’t send a positive signal to the child. When parents voice their frustrations about the school or teachers in front of their child, it negatively influences their children’s learning attitude.

Educating children involves two critical parties – parents and teachers. Research has shown that parent engagement and successful parent-teacher partnerships result in improved educational outcomes for students. Yet three in five K-12 teachers (58%) say fewer than 25% of parents get involved.

Your kids’ education goes beyond dropping them off at school in the morning and picking them up in the afternoon; it just doesn’t end there. To be really involved in your child’s learning and help them succeed, a synergy between you and the teacher must be considered.

Here are seven things teachers wish parents knew to help their kids succeed in school.

Let’s work together to show you how to support your child at home 

A typical classroom comprises children with diverse needs, different learning styles and speeds and developmental needs. Teachers will try and personalize your child’s learning, but nothing beats home support, including one-on-one teaching from the parent. Some children need a little more help which might not be provided within the hours of teaching. The extra support from home can make a big difference. You might want to meet your kid’s teacher to discuss and work on specific areas of concern for your child’s success. Relate particular issues and challenges your kid faces at home with your child’s teacher, your child’s teacher wants to stay informed to support your child better. 

Avoid speaking negatively about your child’s school or teacher in their presence.

The energy you exude towards your child’s school, the things you say about the school, administration and teachers will eventually rub off on your child. Quite understandable no one likes to hear adverse reports about their child, but it’s also fair enough to give some listening ears to what the teacher has to say. So that you know, kids lie — not everything they say about the classroom is true. If you always want to establish that the teacher is wrong, you are subtly getting in the way of your child’s growth and learning.

Teachers are doing every possible best to be at their best and help your child reach their full potential academically. Harsh remarks from you can be damaging on their part. They might handle the matter differently but don’t use that as a reason to ignore a problem. Start with your child’s behaviour, then address additional concerns with the teacher personally.

Attend Parent-Teacher Conference

“I am an involved parent – I do drop-offs and pick-ups, volunteer for events, attend inter-house sports and school events”. Parent involvement should not be limited to visiting or volunteering in the classroom. Helping children succeed in school means communicating regularly and being proactive in knowing how they are progressing. This provides opportunities for the teacher to tell you about your child’s progress and the support required to help them succeed.

Discuss matters with the teacher before going to the school’s principal

“Ibrahim’s Mom has an issue with what happened in the classroom, and when she came to the school, she went straight to the Principal’s office.” 

Many teachers complain that several go straight to the principal without giving them a chance to explain what happened or set the record straight. Before going to the principal, find out from the teacher what happened and escalate to the principal if you feel the teacher didn’t address the issue adequately or think it’s an issue that the principal still needs to be aware of. However, always bring the teachers’ attention to any issue before involving the principal, especially as most problems are still going to be resolved by the teacher. 

Celebrate your child’s successes and failures.

When they haven’t done well – sit with them and don’t make them feel bad about their mistakes and failures because you want your children to learn from those mistakes. Do not make them feel inferior by comparing their performance to their siblings or cousins, or friends. Let them know that failure can be a learning opportunity. You don’t want them to be afraid to fail and take risks. Creativity comes through trial and error – trying things out and seeing what works. 

Education is not only about Maths, English and Science

Some parents want to know why their child is just getting awards in “Arts” or “Well behaved” while others get awards in Maths and Science. Stressing one subject’s importance over another can send the wrong message to your child.

Educational excellence is not just about certain subjects like Maths, English and Science. Increasingly essential skills for the 21st-century child are critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, etc. A child that excels in areas outside academics in sports might mean they can work in a team, are disciplined, etc.  Let your kids figure out their path in life, and never, ever, ever put down a class or subject they are passionate about.

Enrolling your child on too many activities is a NO NO! 

Always resist the urge to let your child be available for every activity. Afford them the time to play as this is central to their learning. Have a time table for daily activities and let them stick to the schedule. Time for reading and assignments shouldn’t be used to watch TV or play video games. You can draw up a daily plan of activities for your kids during weekdays to work on their assignments and read their notes with little time for TV and weekends for little lesson work and more leisure/relaxation.

Your effort combined with that of your kids’ teacher can help them succeed in school and become better individuals to society in the future. It’s also essential to do a proper follow-up with the teacher to discuss improvement areas and how you can support your kids at home. 

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