LAST week I shared our rituals for “kickstarting” my kids for the school year. This week I’d like to share some ways I try to make school their playground for their lifelong learning journey.
I was very lucky I grew up with my relatives, especially my grand aunt. She consistently devoted her time to guide me through my daily homework. I was lucky that as much as I studied in a highly traditional school with tons of schoolwork, I developed a love for studying and learning that I carry on to this day. Before my daughter entered big school, I had a lot of worries going on in my head. I was worried about how consistently I could tutor Megan given my work schedule. I was worried what kind of student would she be. I was worried if I can provide my daughter the same support system that I received from my relatives.
Today, I am fortunate that both my kids, Meagan and Marcus, enjoy going to school. They like doing their homework with minimum supervision. And they don’t mind the work. I’m thankful for the tips I got from seminars and from the books I’ve read.
Below are some of the points I have adopted from the book:
- You are your child’s best role model, so be enthusiastic toward learning and education. Learning for me includes all aspects of life. This includes enriching ourselves through content, as well as with situations that build character. I love sharing with my kids my experiences in school from nursery up to graduate school. I take them to my old school and meet my former teachers. They see my room surrounded by books. More important, I love researching with them. This can be from something interesting they are learning about in school, or a character they are currently fond of.
- Celebrate school successes as a family, and try to solve school problems also as a family. During report card distribution, we always celebrate with a Shakey’s pizza for awards. I always ask my kids how they feel about getting an award so that they’re aware of their efforts. Consequently, when one of them experiences difficulty in certain subjects, I ask the other sibling what he or she thinks we can do. During school events, I invite other family members to show my children that so many people are rooting for their success in school.
- During your parent-teacher meetings, be prepared to discuss your child’s weaknesses openly and without taking offense. Keep a list of what you discussed at each conference. And don’t forget to take a moment to celebrate your children’s successes. I learned early on how valuable feedback from good teachers lead to favorable results, both in the short and long term. I learned this from Teacher Vangie of Philippine Montessori. It opened my view on how teachers and parents work together to mold a child.
- Identify your children’s natural talents and provide them with opportunities to enhance and nurture those abilities. Do your best to foster a passion for the fields that showcase your children’s gifts. Both my kids started to love math when they reached Grade 1. I was lucky to have enrolled them in enrichment classes that have very encouraging teachers. Today, it’s my kids who ask for these enrichment classes. It’s the same for sports. My daughter loves basketball and is in her school varsity. She and my husband always discuss NBA games and the ways on how she can improve her game.
- Set achievable short-term goals without losing sight of your long-term plans. More important, have fun meeting them. Actively involve your child in the development of his short-term and long-term goals. Have him write down all his goals in a “goal notebook”. This will increase his sense of accountability and, thus, his chance of succeeding.
When you first read this point, one might feel that setting goals with a child is too early. I felt the same way, so I took baby steps each year.
Since Meagan was left-handed, her handwriting was not very good at age 6. Her school was strict about this to the point you’d get deductions even if you answer all questions correctly. When I saw that it bothered her, I asked her if she would like to find ways to improve her handwriting. I would make dotted lines of her name for her to practice after school. I remember I got colored pencils to make the activity more fun.
In my weekly alone time with the kids, once in a while I would ask them what they would like to become when they grow up.
The answer changes through time but whatever answer they have at that time, I would extend the conversation with “whys” and “hows”. More important, tell them it takes dedication and effort to achieve this goal. We would surf through personalities in that field or that, and get to know how they got to be successful.