Not every child will perform in the same level as any other student in school. It is an accepted fact that each child will perform according to his or personal capabilities, opportunities, and circumstances. It is not really all about whether a child in inherently “intelligent” or otherwise but more so about the encouragement and support given to him or her that will help in maximizing potentials.
Parents always have a big role to play in every aspect of their children’s life. Education is not an exception. It is in fact one of the most crucial areas where parental support is largely needed. How can this be done?
Provide the Right Environment for Effective Study
It is one thing for parents to demand from their children to study and another to make it possible for them to do so. Children need the time and place to study at the very least. How can parents expect their children to study in a home that is pure chaos with not even a little quiet and space to do some analytical thinking of their own?
Of course there will always be children who can rise beyond even the most unsuitable home environment but they are exceptions. Not every home and family will have the same circumstances. However, it would be best to find the most appropriate time and place for study regardless of prevailing conditions.
Demand the Best and Not Perfection
It would sometimes be tricky to determine when a parent should push or pull back when it comes to studying. As parents, we wouldn’t want to be unnecessarily adding stress to our children’s lives but neither do we want them to content themselves with mediocrity. That point of balance is usually difficult to find.
Of course in the heart of our hearts, we would always wish that our children excel in what they do especially in studies. That is a natural parental reality. To demand perfection however in all things is way too stressful even for grown-ups. It is my belief that parents should settle for the personal best of their children regardless of results.
Teach and Guide
Parents need to teach their children especially during the younger years. Teaching then becomes guiding as they grow older so that responsibility for studies will fall mainly on the child, which is how it should be. It would be very unrealistic for parents to expect children to learn on their own especially during the formative years but neither should children expect that parents will do their assignments and projects for them.
When one of my younger children asked why I cannot do her assignment for her, I told her I’ve done my time and she should do hers. After all, she is the one going to school and not me. For now, I said, my main task is to make sure that I can send her to school and provide the support that she needs but one thing I can never do is to study for her and that made her think long and hard…
Originally posted on October 31, 2013 @ 10:45 am
