Parents and Education

School is back in session and everyone is excited about the upcoming academic year. I have always believed that success in school takes teamwork, in particular, a team of three: student, parents, and teacher.

In a recent article in USA Weekend, actor Tony Danza wrote about his experience spending a year teaching in an urban high school. One of the things that struck him the most was the absence of parents in schooling. Mr. Danza encouraged parents to be actively involved in the schooling of their children.

So, how does one become involved in schooling? To begin with, it requires the commitment of time. It takes time at the end of the day to ask your child probing questions, not the typical “how was your day?” But things like “what did you do in Math class today?”, “who did you sit with at lunch?”, “what did you talk about in English class?” Don’t ever let your child get away with a simple yes or no response. Keep asking until they tell you what really happened. With my son, it sometimes took ten to fifteen questions before I got more than a “yes” or a grunt.

Ask a teacher how you can help out. Running a copy machine is a great gift to offer any teacher. There are always handouts that need to be copied and your spending fifteen minutes at that machine is fifteen minutes more that your child’s teacher has to spend on teaching.

Volunteer to chaperone a field trip or a school event. When my children were in elementary school, my husband was the preferred parent chaperone. My kids enjoyed having Dad tag along on museum trips or science center adventures. My husband was able to meet their friends, have lunch with them, and spend quality time observing the interactions of his son and daughter.

Offer to purchase supplies or materials for the classroom. So many teachers spend their own money to make sure the needs of all of the students in the class are met. This sometimes means buying extra notebooks or scissors or paper. Just making a telephone call to offer this assistance will give you the opportunity to speak to your child’s teacher, and the offer will be greatly appreciated.

Attend Back-to-School night, walk into your child’s classroom, take a look at where he or she sits. Teachers are very willing to share their goals for the school year and talk about what the students will be learning.

Parent involvement in the schools just takes time, and every little bit helps! Here’s to a great school year!