When
people hear the term “parental involvement in school,” they usually think it means
taking part in PTA activities, helping to chaperone field trips, or
volunteering in the classroom.
It’s
important to remember that another form of parental involvement is even more crucial
— taking part in education at home.
This
means encouraging children to read, monitoring their homework, reading to them,
placing reasonable restrictions on TV viewing, and making sure they go to
school every day.
It
also means talking to children about why school is important.
Many
children do not always get such attention. In some cases, both parents are
working and are simply too tired at night. In single-parent families, often it
is impossible for a parent to cover all these bases.
Many
modern children spend at least as much time watching TV as they do in school. And,
of course, if students don’t attend school regularly, they can’t benefit from
what it offers.
Parents
have to be around the house to supervise; they have to put pressure on their
children to turn off the TV and do their homework or read. They have to make
sure their kids go to school even when there is some small reason for staying
home.
This
kind of parental involvement is hard work, and relentless work, because it must
be constant. But it’s hard to think of anything more important parents can do
for their children.
