Who Is Responsible For Teaching My Child? 5 Tips From a Former Teacher

As a former teacher, I heard it from parents time and time again…”Why is my child failing or not doing well in (insert subject)?”

My response was always the same…”What have you been doing at home to reinforce what is being taught in school?”

Parents…It is IMPERATIVE that you are working with your child at home, being laser focused on what is being taught and what your child is learning. You can be proactive and take it a step further and challenge your child or reinforce concepts your child is struggling with. If a paper comes home that has a grade that is less than ideal, have your child redo the paper and go over it with them.

Here is a list of 5 things you can do with your child at home to make sure they stay the “good grade” course.

1. Go over all work that comes home from school. Have your child read the paper to you and explain what they did.
2. Have your child “teach” you what they are learning in school.
3. Make school TOP PRIORITY and everything else comes second. Teach your child that education is key to their future. From what they wear to school, what time they do their homework, etc. to your conversations around academia…make it extremely important.
4. Make sure your child(ren) is/are getting enough sleep and a solid and healthy breakfast/lunch each day of the week.
5. Utilize the “Teacher is always right” rule in your house…even if the teacher ends up being wrong. For example, your child comes home and says that the teacher didn’t explain the concept well and that is why they don’t understand what the paper is asking them to do. Instead of taking your child’s side, teach your child to raise their hand and ask clarifying questions to the teacher so that they have no doubt what is expected of them when they are no longer in the care of the teacher and working on their work at home.