Parents play key role in education of children
By Patrick Murphy, news desk chief of the Columbus Telegram USA
You never really stop going to school until your kids graduate. I never realized that until I had children. I used to think school ended when I graduated.
In some ways, being a student was the easy part. Going to school can be less nerve-racking than sitting at home, hoping your child is soaking up a good education. As my wife and I attended another set of parent-teacher conferences this week, I was reminded of how much work we have to do and how much more work our kids must take on.
It is a team process and, while teachers can teach and parents can make sure studies are studied, it is up to the students to take it from there. I never understood that early in my educational journey. It did not sink in until high school when the desire for good grades really kicked in.
Our kids have a pair of watchdogs who are trying to prepare them for when Mum and Dad are not around to make sure they are staying on task. I remember my Mum talking to me about school and grades, and they were not always easy talks or cordial. We have had a few of those talks in our house.
You do not realize how badly your parents wanted you to succeed until you are a parent yourself. Kids never think about why their parents worry, why they ask the questions they ask or why they make the rules they do.
Someday it will all make sense. Our kids, just like I did, will find themselves falling back on the same things they heard as a child. The light bulb will go on, and they will see the light of their parents’ reasoning.
Like everything else in life, school has changed. The days of sending your child off to school and knowing they will come home, take care of chores and their studies are long gone. There are so many more distractions that are far more entertaining than sitting down and learning something new.
These are the same distractions we embrace at times. It’s great to have an iPod or surf the Net, but moderation and monitoring are all part of that equation.
Maybe it was OK at one time to leave the teaching up to the teacher, but they cannot do it alone, nor should they have to. Without backing by parents at home, teachers are outnumbered.
Kids are only in school for so many hours a day and teachers get one crack at them a day to teach them something and most importantly to make them want to learn. Parents have far more greater exposure to their kids and have to take that responsibility seriously. Without Mum or Dad at home taking an interest in the educational process, it breaks down.
Education is a right, extracurricular activities a privilege. Don’t know what the distant future holds for our kids, but the immediate future includes homework, studying and a lot of prompting from Mum and Dad.
By Patrick Murphy. Reach him at pmurphy@columbustelegram.com
