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Parental involvements in school activities have a positive impact on academic performance. It is very important for parents to be involved in the education of their children from the start. Parents are primary educators of children as they have the greatest influence on them right from childhood to adulthood. Teachers’ roles come in to play when the children start schooling. In this sense, both the parents and teachers are the important educators in a child’s life. They help to develop the child’s intellect and social life.
Help With Assignments
Parents support their wards through many ways. The first is through helping with assignments and discussing what they are being taught in school. It is not in the best for parents to abandon their children’s assignment. Parents that guide and teach children their home works improve their child’s performance. Children should be encouraged to take assignments seriously and should also be assisted. Some parents that cannot assist their children due to ignorance or busy schedules should employ well trained tutors for their children. The availability of private tutors for extra coaching after school hours and on weekends promotes children’s education. These teachers revise all what is being taught in the week and also help with school projects.
Be Involved in Their School Activities
Secondly, parental involvement can also be in place by attending Parent-Teacher Association (P. T. A) Meetings or any meetings that involve parents presence which is being organised by the school. Parent-Teacher Association is a formal organization which involves the presence of teachers and parents, set up by the school to facilitate parental involvement in education. Having good attendance in Parent-teacher meetings, frequent and surprise visitations to schools, having a close relationships with teachers are ways by which patents are actively involved in their children’s academics.
Help Them Set and Achieve Goals
Another way is by helping the children to set goals, achieve them and make career decisions. This is only possible when the communication level between the parents and children is strong. Being a good role model for children and living an exemplary life through hard-work, discipline and morally influences a child way of behaving. Children tend to look up to their parents and walk in their paths. Being a success in your discipline and as well as a person encourages a child in to work towards success. Such child will be hardworking, discipline and dedicated to his studies.
Help Develop Learning Facilities
Parents’ giving advice, scholarships, funds and making contributions on how to make the school develop and progress is another way of supporting children’s education. Rich parents should be open handed in giving out resources and funds for the overall growth of the school. Developing the school at the macro level will add one or two significance to a child, at the micro level. More facilities will be purchased, teaching techniques will be updated, there will be infrastructure constructions, more conducive learning environments and more books in the library. All these advancements have positive impacts on a child’s success.
Revise What They Did In School Daily
It is beneficial to the children when their parents support them in their studies. When one or both parent shows interest in their child’s education, the child will be more attentive in classes when he/she knows they will be asked at home what they learnt in school. This makes them to be good listeners and not to be distracted in class. Their memory and reasoning will develop as they need a retentive memory to remember everything their teachers taught them. This will reflect during tests and exams. Children whose parents read to them have better reading skills and are motivated and fluent than their mates.
Unannounced School Visitation
Frequent visits to school open the eyes of many parents to the academic level of their children. There are many strange and new behaviours and acts that are hidden to parents. Some parents do not know their children’s personality, reading habits, academic strengths, weaknesses, talents and so on. All these will be made known to them if they are close to their children’s school and teachers. This will help them in helping their child(ren). A good parent-teacher rapport gives rooms for parents to monitor their children’s movements and whereabouts.
The rate of absenteeism is reduced when parents are fully involved in their children’s education. When a child knows that his parent can visit his school unannounced, he will not take any chance to be absent compared to a student that has the confidence that his parents can never show up in his school. The fear that parents can show up in school anytime or teacher calling parents when a child is absent will reduce the act of truancy.
Also, students who come from homes where they are fully supported by their parents are more disciplined, well behaved, principled, focused and motivated. They are not found in some acts like examination malpractices, illegal acts and child labour( read an interesting article on child labour here). These children are always seen as the brightest in the school and they work towards the actualization of set goals. They also do well in school so as to win prizes, appreciate their parents’ efforts and make them proud.
In Conclusion
To have a good parental support for child’s education, parents should be interested in their wards’ school works, help with assignments and provide financial support when necessary. Conducive environment and time for study should be provided. Trustworthy and experienced tutors should be employed in cases where the parents are busy or not capable to help the children. Limits should be set on television watching and visitation of friends so as to provide the children adequate time to rest and study.
Parents should not absent themselves from school meetings and should have a close relationship with their children’s teachers. Frequent and surprise visits should be made to the school. Parents should have the habit of calling the children teachers so as to follow up their children. There should not be communication gaps between parents and teachers, and between the parents and the children.
School on their part should encourage parents’ participation irrespective of their pockets, culture, educational achievement and religion. Equal respect, love and attention should be given to all parents. Their acceptability will encourage them to be involved in all school activities that will improve parental involvement in the education of their wards. Active Parent Teacher Association and other related meetings should be organized by the schools. Schools should reach out to parents. Parents should be actively involved in all levels of their child’s education: Creche, Nursery, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary but much attention should be given in their early stage.
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