Last year, I was asked to share some advice on how parents could help their children have a great year in school. While doing my research to provide some meaningful words of wisdom, I came across the following information from the National School Public Relations Association Bulletin. As both a parent and educator, I thought the following tips were very helpful:
1. Be generous with praise. Review your child’s homework, quizzes and tests and provide specific feedback on their performance. Middle school students love to receive positive feedback.
2. Encourage your child’s “Best Effort”. Best effort does not equal "perfect", but your child should be working to achieve their personal best.
3. Make learning a priority in your home. Your positive attitude towards school can go along way towards shaping your child’s perception of school. Remember, learning is a lifetime process.
4. Show interest in school. Encourage your child to share what they are learning in school, have your child read aloud to you, invite your child to share new ideas and opinions and show appreciation when they provide this information to you.
5. Offer suggestions for success. Encourage your child to read each assignment when it is first given, keep a list of new vocabulary, proofread all work before turning it in for a grade and study/review notes before tests.
6. Support 100% Attendance. Some kinds of absences are unavoidable, but taking students out of school is always difficult for both your child and their teachers.
7. Schedule a homework/study time. Establish a consistent time for homework each evening and have a location for homework to be completed that is quiet and free from distractions.
8. Get involved. Make direct contact with your child’s teacher if you have a concern or a question. If your child is having difficulty, it is important for our teachers to know.
9. Set goals. At the beginning of each quarter, help your child identify three or four goals. Place these goals in their homework area where they can be easily seen. Make sure the goals are specific.
What advice have you found helpful for students and parents when they are starting a new school year?
Please share your thoughts and advice!
Please share your thoughts and advice!
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2 comments:
Try to implement some of the same strategies and wording that are used in your child's school at home. For example, at my son's school, they have a colored system (green, yellow, and red; green being the best). First we always make a big deal when he has stayed on green all day at home, and then we remind him to have green evening at home! At bedtime, we discuss if he had a green, yellow, or red evening at home, and the reasons why!
Great idea Lisa! Thanks
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