Parental involvement is one of the most crucial parts of a child\’s complete education. Parents should try and use a combination of a few simple measures to ensure that they aren’t compromising on a chance of improving their child’s focus, behaviour and overall performance.
Attending PTAs
PTA meetings are crucial and should be attended by parents, no matter how busy their life’s schedule is. Usually, the parents complain about the lack of time or interest after a hard day at the office but showing up a school meeting and school events is ample proof for the child that his welfare and education is of top priority for his parents. Parents have the liberty to be either:
• Be a new-age PTA parent and participate online OR
• Be an old-fashioned PTA parent and be actually present
Staying Connected
Parents should use easily-accessible tools like e-mail to stay in touch with the child\’s school authorities. Besides the often-circulated printed newsletters, schools have websites that help to keep the parents informed about the latest developments at school. In some schools, the teachers even distribute their personal e-mail IDs among the classmates for their parents to freely communicate and stay connected.
Get Involved
One easy way of easily finding out about the child\’s performance at school is by having an honest conversation with his teacher and parents of the classmates. Parents should find ways of contributing to school events. Simple contributions like writing an article for the school newsletter or making goodies for school celebrations shows to the other PTA members that the parents are serious about making a difference to the quality of education being imparted at the school. Getting support and sympathy of the PTA assures that the child is looked after and cared for.
Helping Each Other Out
Parents should try and stay connected with the other parents. Parenting isn\’t easy for anyone but talking it out with other concerned parents can help out to sort out issues which one set of parents haven’t been able to do so on their own.
There is a huge probability that the other parent might have some experiences and hence, insight by having had been through a similar problems with their children. Parents could try and set up a parent help group which could be either in the residential block or even at the office.
Children who have involved and caring parents, exhibit:
• Higher grades better test scores.
• Improved school attendance and low anxiety.
• Motivation and increased sense of self-esteem.
• Lower rates of absenteeism or suspension.
• Reduced instances of violent behaviour.