It doesn’t matter whether your child is in junior high or high school, there’s a great advantage academically to them having you actively involved in their education. If you focus on making education an important part of life in your home (not forced, just important!) from an early age, there’s a good chance that your teen will accept that education is an integral part of their growing up and doing well academically will lead to success later when they enter the employment market.
So how do you show parental involvement? There are a number of ways you can practically show your interest in your child’s education at school, included in which are: Find out what the school is doing, and make time to be involved in any activities where parents are allowed to attend. There are usually announcements on notice boards, web sites and through your teen bringing home information either on paper in the form of an invitation from the school to attend an event, or verbally from something they have been told. Whether it’s a charity bake sale, or the football game, you should actively support your teen’s school life.
When there is a chance to talk to your child’s teachers at a parent-teacher meeting, an open house at the school or a class project presentation you need to make the time to attend. This may not always be convenient especially if you are working, but the fact that you manage to juggle your time management to fit this in will show your teen how much of a priority their education is to you, and that should rub off onto them.
If you aren’t working then a great way to get involved in your child’s school is to volunteer your time to help out in some capacity. This can be on a flexible basis such as acting as a chaperone on study visits, or on a more formal basis where you commit to spending so many hours in a teaching assistant capacity. Your child’s school office should be able to advise you on where help is needed and point you in the direction of the person you need to speak to about it.
It doesn’t really matter what you do within the school structure — whether it’s serving as a committee representative on the PTA, or serving lunch in the school restaurant, the important thing is that you are getting involved with the life of the school. That not only gives you an insider’s view of the school where you can see for yourself the kind of environment your child is being educated, but also show your teen that you are as committed to their education as you’d like them to be. You’re “walking the walk” with them, and that’s as positive a role model as any parent could be.
Jane Saeman runs an In-Home Tutoring Service called Aim High Tutors. Find out how to help your student reach their full potential at http://www.aimhightutors.com and http://www.aimhightutors.com/blog
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