Back to school, it brings with it many emotions. Some parents will be sighing relief as they put their children on the school bus and return to routine. Others will be wiping tears away as they say, "Have a good first day!" to their preschoolers. One thing we all have in common is we will be hoping that our children are successful this year. We want them to thrive and be well prepared for the future, that is why we place priority on their education.
School is important for the success of our children. However, it is not a winning ticket by itself. For children to be really successful in school, career, and life, education has to come home. I don't mean that every parent needs to homeschool. I mean that we have to create a seamless experience for our children where education is valued, embraced, and used daily in school and in the home. We are our children's primary educators, sending them to school doesn't somehow get us off the hook.
Sure, we'll help our kids with their homework, but will we take that extra step and teach them something more? Will we connect them to additional resources and help them to gain a broader understanding? Will we spend time bonding with them while reading and learning together or will we race through the homework and free them to watch television? I'm not suggesting that our lives be all work and no play, children need recreational time to run and rest as well. I am, however, suggesting that we make education become more recreational in our homes.
Our involvement in our children's education is critical to their success. Reading is the single most important facet of a child's education, without it they will not be able to succeed in their other subjects. It has been statistically proven that when parents and children read together the children are more successful. It also provides an opportunity for bonding and communication. The emphasis we place on education really does matter.
The substantial relationship between parent involvement for the school and reading comprehension levels of fourth-grade classrooms is obvious, according to the U.S. Department of Education.7 Where parent involvement is low, the classroom mean average (reading score) is 46 points below the national average. Where involvement is high, classrooms score 28 points above the national average - a gap of 74 points. Even after controlling for other attributes of communities, schools, principals, classes, and students, that might confound this relationship, the gap is 44 points.
Success... it is on every parent's mind. So as we send our children off to the school bus, sighing or crying, let us make a commitment. Let's promise to try to show our children that we value education and that we love learning. Let's read to our children and encourage them to read. Let's take intentional steps toward their success, beginning with the first one: reading at home.
Allow me to introduce myself. I am a stay at home mother of two children, Lillie (four years) and Michael (two years). In addition to nurturing my children at home, I am an independent consultant for Usborne Books & More. I love children and have a passion for educational & entertaining books. So naturally, I fell in love with Usborne Books because they are of exceptional quality and developed by researchers. I believe that these are some of the very best books on the market for children today.
