Preparing Your Child for Academic Success
Parents play an important role in their children’s ability to have academic achievement. Every parent should be involved in their children’s education. In order for children to succeed in academics, there needs to be a good foundation in place in the home. There also needs to be routines, boundaries, support, and rules that govern the home. These components create stability and an environment that is conducive to learning and achieving success in their academics studies as well as in life in general.
Building a Home Foundation for Education
Provide your children a quiet area to study and do homework in your home. Make sure that this area has proper lighting. Do not let them study in bed that is where they sleep. Academics should be important enough to have a dedicated area in your home.
Encourage your child to read every day. This is done best by setting an example. Actions speak louder than words so demonstrate this to your child by reading and encouragement. The number one activity linked to academic success is reading.
Maintain consistent communication with your children’s teachers to insure what you are doing at home is supporting your child’s work in school. Become familiar with each teacher so they feel comfortable calling you. Some teachers are shy, too! Always check and show a tremendous amount of interest in tests, book reports, science projects, and of course progress reports and report cards. If you show little value to these things, your child will as well.
If your children are experiencing difficulty with a concept or subject that you are not familiar with (or forgot), call the school and ask if extra support or tutoring is available.
Always provide positive reinforcement and verbal praise to your children for their demonstration of homework skills, academic efforts, discipline, and achievements.
Set a fixed time each day for study and homework and do not negotiate or fluctuate. If the homework is light that day, the child should use the time to put extra effort into his toughest subject. The amount of homework should not dictate the time!
Inquire about your children’s homework every day and check to see that it is completed. Also demonstrate an interest in what your child is learning and offer realistic application to that knowledge. Make it fun by telling them that ice cream cones cost $1.25 each—if you can figure out how much money I will need to take the family to get one cone each, after your math homework, we will go.
Make sure your children always have the required school supplies such as notebooks, pens, pencils, sharpener, etc. It is embarrassing for a child to show up without the required tools to do a project in school. Furthermore, it is irresponsible of a parent to send children to school unprepared.
Always ensure your children get enough sleep, eats properly, exercises, and gets to school on time every day. Consistency is key to academic success.
Choosing the Right School for Your Child
In addition to the home being a conducive environment for learning, fathers must also make sure the school is as well. Do not be naive; all schools are not created equally.
Dictionary for Dads suggests that you make sure that your children’s school meets the state standards and guidelines as an academic institution. Make sure the school has the proper state certification and it is up to date. Furthermore, inquire about the standing or the quality of the school compared to other local and state schools. This information is available through the use of state administered standardized testing, which the school should provide you if you ask.
Check to see if the school is using current workbooks, computers, and literature to teach their lessons. Some schools we researched while writing this article have an independent philosophy and use material that Dictionary for Dads considers to be outdated. Ask the principal what teaching methods the school commonly practices or subscribes to. If you are not familiar or educated on the methods explained to you, research them to determine if they are recognized, proven, current, accepted, and effective methods of teaching. Also consider your children’s personality and if these methods will work for them. Examine the school’s daily academic schedule and if you are unsure, inquire about how much time will be spent on Reading Comprehension, Math skills, Social Studies, and Science.
