For over six years I was the secretary of a small Christian school (although I since resigned to stay home with a new baby), and my husband is the administrator of this school even now.  We have always been observers of parents because we want to learn what works and doesn’t work in child rearing and in producing productive members of society.  As Christians, we are also concerned about raising children who have Godly character and want to do what is right.

Looking back over the school year that we are soon leaving behind us, I have put together a list of several vital things that I believe parents can do to help not only their children as students but to support the school and its faculty as well.  If you do homeschool, perhaps these can just be an encouragement for parenting in general and for being a more effective home educator.

BE INVOLVED

While homeschooling is ultimate involvement and taking responsibility for your child’s education, a parent of a student in traditional school does their child a great service if they are involved in their child’s life –and yes, are in their child’s “business”.  At a certain age, about late elementary school, for some children, their peers and friends become more important to them than their parents and family.  I have seen my children try to go through this stage where I am dismissed because they would rather be with a friend – or it comes down to my word versus their 8 year old friend’s word!  Personally, I don’t cater well to that.  My way of dealing has been to invite my children’s friends into my home and to get to know my children’s friends’ parents; and I am often at their activities.   I make it so that my child is not easily able to ignore me.

I understand it is hard to be involved if you work full-time, but there are always lunch hours you can maybe steal away (we have parents who check their children out for a quick lunch if arrangements are made ahead of time) or a few hours taken off to attend an event or field trip.  It may be hard for you, but believe me, it is SO worth it!  I have been privileged to go to many of my children’s school events, and while some kids don’t really care that their parents aren’t there, I know there are definitely some who wish theirs could attend.  Even if a child may not act affected by your presence, I believe they are.

I have witnessed even the children of neglectful parents long for their parents’ attention; I have seen them light up when their parents give them the slightest indication of affection or show up for an event even briefly.  That is why some children use bad behavior to get attention, any attention – even if it is discipline – because they so long for someone to pay attention to them!  I wouldn’t leave it up to chance that my child find their source of attention from someone else – because it might be a good influence but in most cases, it probably won’t be.  I am thankful for my children’s teachers who strive to be good influences and encouragers, especially to those children with absent parents.

I encourage you if you are already involved in your children’s lives, go ahead and take another kid whose parents aren’t available under your wing. Help your children see how to reach out to those less fortunate by example.  Be a coach, a mentor, a teacher, a friend to someone else’s child too!  We live in a military community, and some parents are not absent by choice but by orders of Uncle Sam.  Consider children of single parent homes or whose parents are facing illness or hardship; they need positive role models.

In my next article, I will share 2 more observations from “behind the desk.”  Until then, do you have any experiences to share how to be involved in your school child’s life or the life of other students?  I’d love to hear about it!