5 Simple Ways for Parents to Help Teachers Help your Child

By Deanna Hurn, Founder and CEO of Miracle Math Coaching

Consider teachers the Super Heroes of your child’s academic life.  Among other powers, they instill knowledge with a vengeance, reinforce it with conviction, motivate like a cheerleader, mentor like a coach and nurture with compassion.

School’s starting up, and teachers are fastening on their capes and pulling on their tights.  They’re pumped up to fight for wisdom and stamp out bordom.

But even Super Heroes need help sometimes.

Here are five things parents can do to help teachers do the best job they can for your child (courtesy of the Education.com website):

1. Get to Know the Teacher.  You should be on a first-name basis with your child’s teacher.  Ask for the best way to get in touch with him or her, such as by phone or email.  Be there for open houses and parent-teacher conferences. I emailed all of my daughter’s teachers today to introduce myself and let them know her academic coaches will be in touch.  I also told them that we’re all here to support what they are doing in the classroom!
2. Read to Your Child. “The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading, is reading aloud to children,” stated the U.S. Department of Education Commission on Reading in 1985. Grab a book, any book, and read to your child at least three times a week. You’ll plant the seeds for a lifetime of reading.
3. Get Involved With the School, if You Can. Attend school council meetings. Join the school’s PTA. If you work and these school-oriented meetings are scheduled during the day, ask if meetings can occasionally be held at night. Your voice counts—sometimes, it’s the only voice that will advocate for your child. When parents unite, they can more readily affect changes in schools. In fact, I’m thinking about running for school council at my daughter’s school this year!
4. Don’t Be So Patient. “Patience is for martyrs,” says Lisa Holewa, co-author of “What Kindergarten Teachers Know.” When you enable your child’s urges at home, he may not get with the program at school. When you take your child to an appointment, for example, be on time … no matter what cool thing may have caught your kid’s attention. You’ll suffer fewer headaches in the meantime.
5. Value Education.  Show your child that learning is a lifelong adventure that doesn’t end once school is over. Read a book. Take a class that interests you. Tell your child about the learning experiences you’ve had on the job. Bond over educational books, movies and TV shows.

This has really helped me a lot with my kids. This summer, we enrolled my daughter in SuperCamp, an academic, career and life skills camp on the U.C. Berkeley campus.  She understood the cost was quite high, and we had to save up two summers for her to go.  But it showed her how much we value her education.  She realized how important it was to provide her with the proper tools for her to fulfill our expectations of her.

Miracle Math believes so much in the power of teachers that we contact them before school starts, during the school year and just before the beginning of summer. We introduce ourselves as the coaches for your child, and establish a teacher partnership.  Our coaches find out about upcoming tests and quizzes, share what we’re doing during each coaching session and learn how best to communicate with them (always with parents’ knowledge and permission.)

If you’re looking to get your child out of their comfort zone and into their learning zone, sign up for a FREE learning discovery here today or text/call us at 707-398-3474 .  Miracle Math Coaching is an award-winning, student-focused service with a track record of boosting academic achievement.