Learning requires effort. Good education takes three partners - student, teacher and parents. While the student's main responsibility is to study well and realize his potential, and the teacher's duty is to teach effectively so that the students do well in life, then what is the parents’ role? What can a mother or father do to help her/his child perform better?
Children spend 16 to 18 hours at home and only 6 to 8 hours at school but the role and duties of teachers and schools are overemphasized. Early formative years of a child are the most impressionable period. Parents are the first and foremost teachers of children, who ‘teach’ not only by telling but also by practical examples. Also teachers keep changing but parents are constant companions. The parents' role in the upbringing and education of a child is immense. As a lecturer, I used to think that parents should be just seen occasionally and that's all. But now that I have raised two children of my own, my attitude has changed. I am convinced that if parents take an active part in their child's education and development, it makes an enormous difference.
In the triangle of child, parents and teacher, if there is some communication or relationship problem at any of the three links, the child's performance cannot improve at school. Education is the way students are prepared, intellectually and morally, to survive the waves of change that sweep the world. The purpose of education is to enable young people to become more knowledgeable and adaptable, to be well-rounded and civilized adults.
Parents’ role is to keep the balance right and not push the children and create a hothouse climate. Besides, parents must play a big part by supporting their child's search for knowledge in different ways. For instance, if your child is in junior college doing A-levels and wants to study arts or music instead of medicine or accountancy for a degree, think again before you give your judgement. Times are changing and you, as parents, have a great responsibility to encourage and support your child in letting him pursue his interests in a particular field.
Children spend 16 to 18 hours at home and only 6 to 8 hours at school but the role and duties of teachers and schools are overemphasized. Early formative years of a child are the most impressionable period. Parents are the first and foremost teachers of children, who ‘teach’ not only by telling but also by practical examples. Also teachers keep changing but parents are constant companions. The parents' role in the upbringing and education of a child is immense. As a lecturer, I used to think that parents should be just seen occasionally and that's all. But now that I have raised two children of my own, my attitude has changed. I am convinced that if parents take an active part in their child's education and development, it makes an enormous difference.
In the triangle of child, parents and teacher, if there is some communication or relationship problem at any of the three links, the child's performance cannot improve at school. Education is the way students are prepared, intellectually and morally, to survive the waves of change that sweep the world. The purpose of education is to enable young people to become more knowledgeable and adaptable, to be well-rounded and civilized adults.
Parents’ role is to keep the balance right and not push the children and create a hothouse climate. Besides, parents must play a big part by supporting their child's search for knowledge in different ways. For instance, if your child is in junior college doing A-levels and wants to study arts or music instead of medicine or accountancy for a degree, think again before you give your judgement. Times are changing and you, as parents, have a great responsibility to encourage and support your child in letting him pursue his interests in a particular field.
