Help Your Child Be Successful in School

Do you want your child to be successful in school? Of course you do. During the 2007-2008 school year the drop out rate was 20.1%. Today's schools are teaching and pressuring students a lot, so it's important for you as parent to step in and become involved in your child's education to prevent your child from dropping out in school. The earlier you get started, the better.

Elementary years

Volunteer

If you have the time to volunteer in your child's class do it. Try to volunteer in their class even if it's only one day during the whole school year. By volunteering you are showing your child that you care about him/her and you care about his/her education. Maybe you can help out at one of the class parties or go on the class field trip. Any help will be greatly appreciated by the teacher and your child will remember this forever.

Donate items

During the winter months donate a box of tissue to your child's class. Once again your child's teacher will appreciate it and your child will feel proud that his mom bought that box of tissue by the drinking fountain. As a teacher myself I recognize all donations by using a sharpie pen and writing "Thank you, (child's name)" on all donated items.

Ask about your child's day

Don't just ask "How was your day?" because you will usually get the response, "Nothing." Ask specific questions to find out about your child's day. Did you have an assembly? What book did you read today? What did you write about in your journal today? Did you go on the swings during recess? By asking specific questions you are more likely to get a good response from your child. Asking about your child's day will show that you were thinking about them while they were at school and you care about their day.

Help with homework

As a teacher I try to make homework as a review of what was taught in class. Homework should not require a lot of assistance from parents, but still be close by in case they need help. Make a routine and make a special place for homework to be completed everyday. If students get in the routine of doing homework at the kitchen table after coming home from school it will become routine and not such a daily struggle. Look over your child's homework and praise them on the job well done. Once again, make specific comments. "I like how neatly you wrote your numbers." is much more meaningful than "You got the right answer."

Read to to your child everyday

Even when your child knows how to read it is very important that you read to your child everyday. Read an interesting story that is above your child's reading level. By doing this you will introduce your child to many new vocabulary words.

It is also important to show your child that you love to read, too. Allow them to see you reading the daily newspaper or magazine. Share what you read during the day. If they see that reading can be fun they will develop a love for reading also.

Junior High Days

As your child gets older it's common to become less involved in your child's education, but this shouldn't be the case. Your child still needs your support.

Talk about your Junior High days

Junior high can be a difficult adjustment for some students. This is often when new friendships form and old ones end. If you talk about how you struggled during junior high your child will be more likely to talk to you and share their problems. Many times children think they are the only one with their problem and don't want to talk about it. If they know you had the same problem they will not feel alone.

Get to know your child's friends

It is important for your child to have friends, but it's more important for you to know who your child's friends are. Peer pressure is very common in junior high and your child may be pressured into things they normally wouldn't do. Rather than saying no to friend visits, make your house the fun place to be. By inviting your child's friend to your house you will get to know them on a personal basis and supervise what your child is doing.

High School Days

High school can be a stressful time for some teens. They know the end of their education is coming to an end and college days are next.

Allow your teen some privacy and freedom, but set limitations as well

Teens may say to stay out of their life and let them do what they want, but they still need parents. Teens need limitations. Set curfews, set texting limitation, and monitor online behavior. Praise your teen for doing a good job and look at the limitations on a regular basis. If your teen obeyed his curfew for 3 months maybe you can extend the curfew by 30 minutes. Show them the importance of following rules and becoming a responsible adult,

Encourage your teen to find a part time job

Finding a part time job will teach your teen responsibility and have a chance to earn a little extra money. They will get a chance to explore different career opportunities as well.

Visit colleges together

Make a special family vacation and visit local and out of state colleges. If you do this together they will see that college is important to you.