The Parents' Role-

The following is a brief piece about the role of parents in a child's learning. It is taken from my booklet, "Fifty Nifty Ways to Help Your  Child Become a Better Learner". Again, your comments about the post would be most appreciated.

The role of today’s parents with respect to their offspring’s learning is inordinately complex, much more so than in the past. Parents desperately want their kids to be successful, yet find themselves in an ancillary role, subservient to the curriculum centered program at school; outside, looking in. They try hard to motivate and encourage their kids, but still feel as if they are outsiders following the lead of the schools and the teachers. They find themselves in a complex combination of roles; partly teacher, or more likely teacher aide, partly friend and colleague, but partly boss, partly role model. 

Single parents have it even tougher! Many working moms come home after a long day at work and find it especially difficult to be supportive of the kids. They need some support themselves!

Parents therefore too easily fall into the role of the one who offers rewards and punishment, the disciplinarian, a behaviorist. They  want to avoid at all costs interfering with the curriculum, but to offer appropriate emotional support for their offspring. There are no guidelines. How can we help our children most appropriately, with the right combination of push and pull, the right connection to the school, the right balance between authority and colleague? How to do it well? 

Being the coach in a Learn to Learn framework can be an excellent solution to the question of how parents can best support the school and help their children to come as close as possible to attaining their potential. You care about your kids and their future, you want them to do well in school and in life, so accept the role of helping them learn how to learn. It won’t interfere with the school curriculum or the teacher’s role, and will actually support both. It will help your child to see you as friend and colleague rather than one more authoritarian boss in their lives, and therefore be genuinely motivational.  And besides, it’s fun!!!