Report to the People
Helping Children Learn
As your little darlings skip happily back to school, leaving your nerves and your wallet to recover from the damage done by the past fortnight of quality time, you might be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief.
You don’t, though, need me to tell you that this respite, no matter how welcome, will be short lived. By tonight, yesterday’s demands to be taken to McDonalds, or to the Waterfront, or to see or "Ice Age" will be replaced with requests for help with homework or commands to admire a freshly painted picture of an octopus trying to eat your house.
While after a hard day’s work it is tempting to pretend to be busy reading the paper, asleep, or (if you’re a grandparent) deaf, it is worth making the effort. All the evidence shows that children whose parents take an interest in their school work get the best results.
We all want our children to get the most out of their education. And if becoming more involved helps them do this, then most of us would be willing to do so. But how? Where do we start? Don’t we need to be a cross between Charles Dickens and Bill Gates to understand today’s kids’ school work?
These might be simple questions for parents who are also education professionals. But those of us whose miserable experiences at school meant we couldn’t get out of the place quick enough can sometimes feel we have no role to play.
That is not so. We can all make a contribution. The key is knowing how.
Thankfully, help is now at hand. With funding from the Scottish Parliament, the Quality in Education Centre at Strathclyde University has published a practical guide for parents, families and schools on how you can get involved in your children’s education.
The booklet is full of ways in which you can make learning more productive and enjoyable. It draws on good practice in Scottish schools to provide ideas for parents and teachers on how they can best work together.
It is hardly surprising that children whose parents take an interest in their schooling are more likely to realise their potential. But for too long this has been the preserve of children lucky enough to be born to well-educated, confident parents. It is time to give everyone, regardless of their own education, the chance to play their part.
Copies of "How Can Parents Help Their Children’s Learning?" are now being sent to all schools, school boards and parent-teacher associations.
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