Our past experience as students tells us that school life can be tough. If not guided properly, one can easily get lost or distracted. The eagerness to learn is innate in everyone. How we wish that our children would carry on the same perseverance with schoolwork as they did when they were just first learning to walk! Here are some ways to help the parents get started.
Be supportive to your child’s activity. Get involved on his daily activities and school functions. Check his work and assignment and ask your child to share what he does in school. Avoid giving rewards such as money, toys or special privileges in exchange for good grades. This maybe the quickest way to lure him to work hard. You can use intangible rewards such as praising him, hugging him or kissing him for his school success. Let you child know that studying is essential. Make your child’s learning relevant. Show that learning extends beyond your child’s classroom and report card. For examples if his lesson is about addition or subtracting money, take him do the computations of what you have sold. Be a role model to you child. Take notes of you attitudes, values and habits. Make sure that they are consistent with those you intend you child to imbibe. Allow room for mistakes. Mistakes can make your child learn to cope with frustration, perseverance in his work and motivate to improve.
Emphasize healthy competition and an honest work. Avoiding giving punishment for low grades instead regard this as reminder for your child to exert effort. Encourage your child to read books about the lives of successful people or stories that impart lessons on responsibility, diligence and competence. Bible stories and biographies of heroes, leaders and inventors are some example of these materials.
By: Ms. Juvy P. Cruz | Orion Elementary School
