Being an educator and someone who has had to read a great deal of research, I am amazed at how much gets blamed on schools by everyone that is not a teacher. Then how much of that blame gets turned around on the parents. Let's examine what are some simple cures for education.
1) Talk to your child. There is a great deal of research that talks of the amount of talking and interaction that takes place between a parent and child and how much that affects the child's ability to learn. This needs to begin at birth and continue throughout the child's life at home.
2) Read to your child. There is so much that goes on with the reading process that it would take an expert to understand what takes place when someone reads to a baby. But, our grandmothers and others knew that it was a great idea to read to our children.
3) Be positive with your child. It is estimated that by the age of 5 parents will have spoken an estimated 500,000 utterances to their child. Children who enter school ready to learn it has been shown have heard mostly positive utterances from their parents. This also relates to the vocabulary of children. If they have heard more positive then they are more likely to have a larger vocabulary.
4) Turn off the TV. This is my personal opinion though I am sure there is a research out there to support what I am saying. The TV does not spur imagination nor exercise. Kick their little butts outside and let them play. They need the exercise and this also encourages their imagination. So many of the kids today do not know how to interact with others or use their imaginations. It is truly sad.
5) Set a bedtime and stick to it. No 5 year old needs to be up at 10 pm yet there are parents who are letting their little darling stay up late. Then they wonder why their child struggles in school to stay awake. Little kids need their sleep and lots of it. They need at least 10 hours of sleep a night.
6) Be the parent. You are going to make mistakes. Move on and learn from it. Just because momma said that was the way she did it does not mean it's right. It could be wrong. You never know but use the good sense that God gave you. Just because your 5 year old hates vegetables does not mean you quit giving him vegetables. No, you give him vegetables. And if he refuses to eat then going to bed hungry once in a while because he chooses not to eat won't hurt him. And if it happens to be there at 6 in the morning when he gets up to eat, well then he might get the message that he needs to eat. But, making them eat every single bite on their plate is probably not a good idea either unless they are starving. Gauge what they eat and be mindful of their habits.
All of these things can be done by the parent and will make a world of difference and they don't cost a dime.
