Parents can help support children's success in school

Parents are often quite surprised to learn just how much they are doing every day to build their children's ability to succeed in school. Since last spring I have been working with the Wickenburg Unified School District, meeting with parents to explore ways to help their children succeed. This partnership between schools and families is important because schools are only the children's "second" teachers. Their "first" teachers, and actually the far more important teachers, are their parents and families.

It is the skills, knowledge and attitudes parents teach in the first five years of a child's life at home that are the most important to the child's future success. So if you are a parent, or helping to raise a child, maybe you are wondering just what are all these important lessons and how are you teaching them?

You are probably doing them already. Children are natural learners and love to share what they learn. You give them opportunities that encourage them to explore and practice; you watch them, noticing and appreciating their growing skills and self-control; you encourage their drive to share and communicate by listening and responding to them; by sharing your own language, telling stories, reading stories, looking at picture books, telling jokes, and playing games. Listening carefully to children encourages them to use words and communicate with others.

Children's success in school relies on building a good vocabulary. And it makes no difference if those skills and vocabulary are developed in English or Spanish because it is the child's brain that is becoming smarter. The same goes for learning their numbers and letters.

Do you notice their schoolwork? Do you go to the school for parent and family events? Seeing your appreciation for their work, their school, their teachers and administrators makes the school feel like a more friendly, safe and valuable place to children. That means that they will work harder and get better grades.

Being engaged with the school continues to be important. Keeping children on track gets more difficult as they move into middle and high school. When families are actively involved, and are monitoring children's out of school activities, they are more likely to complete school and stay out of trouble.

Maybe you are a parent and have felt that these supporting activities were not really so important. If so, please know that is not so. Your teaching and support is the most important. There will be more opportunities to meet and talk about supporting your children's success as we have parenting workshops during the school year. I hope to see you there.

Jeff Drake is a parenting coach and educator here in Wickenburg. He is currently working together with the Wickenburg Unified School District presenting his "Successful Parenting" programs at school-sponsored events for parents and is available for individual family consultations or to help groups of parents focus on helping their children's success.