Parental Involvement With Educating Children it Takes

Parental Involvement With Educating Children

It takes a village to raise your children, is not only a saying it is a fact. Teachers need the support of the parents and others involved with the child to reinforce what is being taught in the schools. As parents or guardian of children we should take an active role in the education process of our children. We can do so by ensuring their assignments are completed, they are keeping up with their peers and we provide the support necessary to their educators. Children in kindergarten and in first grade especially need involved parents. These are children who are new to formal education. These children need the support and help of their parents or caretakers, to achieve academic success. "Parent involvement in the education of their children, is now recognized as one of the most critical factors influencing student achievement" (Lazar et. al., 1999). In this paper I will discuss the types of parental involvement, benefits of parental involvement, teachers helping with home-based learning and ways to reinforce learning.

Types of Parental Involvement

Parents can become involved in three main areas of the child's life, behavioral, intellectual and personal (Parent's Involvement in Children's Education, 2007). Personal involvement will include, speaking to their children and helping them understand and create social relationships. Behavioral involvement includes, parents disciplining their children when necessary. Parents should engage in discussions with their children about relevant topics such as how to behave, how to act and about following instructions in school. Intellectual involvement is helping the child with their homework, or helping them achieve higher academic progress. Researchers have found that "children who received adequate parental concern were found to be much more confident in their academic desires and achievements than those who could not get the right amount of parental concern" (Parent's Involvement in Children's Education, 2007). Parental involvement makes the child feel special and care for, which makes them want to work harder to please their parents.

Benefits of Parental Involvement

There are many benefits for parental involvement in their children's education. Entwisle et. al. (1987) has found that children depend a lot on the evaluation of their parents for social achievement and academic self-image. The self-image of the child is extremely important, since there is a direct relationship to children with high self-image and good academic achievement. Teachers have found that children with academic disadvantages such as low reading or math scores can improve these scores with parental involvement (Lazar et. al, 1999). Parents, who help their children with their homework, have children that gain more from the homework. Teachers of kindergarten and first grade, view the involvement of parents as crucial to the academic success of the child, they are viewed as an important resource and support for both the teachers and the children (Lazar et.al., 1999). There is a direct positive relationship between parental involvement and student motivation (Gonzalez-DeHass et. al, 2005).

Ways to Reinforce Learning

In the schools children are more conformed to formal learning; a teacher teaching the material. Parents can make learning fun and exciting for their children. Parents can reinforce Math lessons during dinner, where they count or measure. They can reinforce computer learning by playing games on the computer. Kindergartens learn to read, and there are many fun games parents can play with their children. There are fun websites such as www.starfall.com, where parents can teach their kids to read, do Math and many more leaning, which is fun and exciting for the children. "Trips to the zoo, park and museum give children the opportunity to experience firsthand what was discussed in school" (Ostach, 1990).

Teachers Helping with Home-Based Learning

Teachers can work together with parents to help create a home-based learning environment. Many teachers have found that giving the children adequate homework that support the lessons is a good way to get the parents involved. Teachers can welcome the involvement of parents, and provide handouts about upcoming topics to be discussed. Teachers can give parents information about programs like No Child Left Behind and solicit their help in preparing children for such programs (GAO, 2007).