It’s a scene familiar to parents up and down the country.
Cue dad, knocking on child’s door in the morning.
“Get up; it’s almost time for school.”
No answer.
“YOU WILL BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!!!”
No answer.
One final knock, probably loud enough to wake the elderly neighbors next door.
With a moan and a groan, the child then emerges from their room. It’s not the promise of going to school that has got them out of bed, but rather the persistence of their human alarm clock of a parent.
Enthusiasm for school is clearly not on the child’s personal curriculum.
Do you identify with what we are saying?
For many children, the importance of education takes a back seat to another hour in bed or the desire to do something else with their day. But as the parent, it’s your responsibility to encourage them as much as possible. It’s your duty to showcase the importance of education.
But how?
Lead by example. Children look at their parents as role models, so you need to role model the importance of education in your life. For starters, you might explain your own career path to your kids, letting them know how education got you to where you are now. You might actively pursue education, taking courses such as these online rn to bsn programs to show your children that education can be useful for advancing in a career. And should you take on any extra courses, you might work on them diligently in an effort to role model the importance of working hard in any given subject.
Get excited about your children’s education. Find out what your children are doing at school. Talk to them about the subjects they are taking. Show enthusiasm for what they are learning. When out and about with your children, find opportunities to teach them real-world examples of the lessons they are learning at school. Look for ways to complement their learning through specific television programs and YouTube videos. And using these examples, get involved with your child’s school. If you can muster up excitement about what your child is doing, your enthusiasm might rub off on them.
Refer to real-life examples. What is your child’s dream career? Find out what they are interested in doing after finishing school or college, and then, as you help them navigate a route into their chosen career, highlight real-life examples of people who have gone before them. Find out what these people did to get to where they wanted to be, and assuming education played a part in this, with extra training, degree courses, etc., let your child know how education played a part in their success. Hopefully, your child will then be inspired to follow in these good examples.
Help your children. If your child struggles academically, find ways to help them. There will be resources online to help you but speak to your child’s teacher for advice as well. By taking time out of your schedule, and actively helping your child to succeed, you will further showcase the importance you place on education in their lives.
Your children will not always jump out of bed with boundless enthusiasm in the mornings. But if you can showcase the importance of education to them, they should make that effort to work harder in school, and whisper it, even do their homework of an evening! Let us know what you think, and if you have used particular resources or tactics to support your children with their learning, be sure to share your ideas with us.
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