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If you are a parent, you really don’t need to be reminded about
the importance of education. What goes on at school has an impact on every
single facet of family life from the time your youngest child enters
Junior Kindergarten until the day he or she finally decides that it is
time to leave the classroom and enter the world of work.
Many parents today
don’t realize, however, just how different things were when they were
going through the system. It sure seemed a whole lot easier to deal with
school matters when my own children were growing up.
Homework was less difficult to understand and I had no trouble
helping my children with their assignments. Most of the time we just let
the school take care of education responsibilities. Come to think of it,
everything about life seemed so much easier to deal with.
Times are different
today – in everything, not just education. Parents are no longer just
parents: they are “Family Managers” with responsibilities that include
a wide variety of functions, including the management of the education and
career planning of their children. In other words, today’s parents MUST
take an active role in the education program of their children. They have
no choice and it is imperative that they fully understand the implications
of provincial testing; IPRC meetings; IEP requirements; special education
and resource support; academic vs applied levels of study in high school;
college vs university vs apprenticeship options; report cards that have
numbers from 1 to 4 instead of percents and letters; etc.
Many parents are left
in a total state of confusion, making an attempt to become involved by
“helping” with homework until they recognize that the math being
taught in school today does not look like the math they were taught 20 or
30 years ago. They try as hard as they can to “force” their children
to keep up with assignments and to get high marks but this often leads to
an elevated level of stress in the home and a negative attitude towards
education among the children.
Today’s parents have
no choice! They must accept their role as “Family Managers” and within
that organizational structure of the family falls the management of
Learning and Education programs for children.
This can mean measures
that include anywhere from home schooling to private schools and
everything in between from regular schools to special schools to private
tutoring. Whatever it takes, it is your responsibility as the “Family
Manager” to make sure that effective learning takes place for all
members of your “team” – yourself included.
The primary
responsibility for educating your child is no longer the job of the
schools. It is your job as a parent and how you manage your choice of
schools and your understanding of the school system is critical to your
performance as the “Family Manager”.
You
must find time to visit your child's school once in a while. Talk
to the teacher and principal. And don’t just talk about the weather.
Talk about substance and become better acquainted with the programs. Ask
for explanations. Question policies and philosophies with which you
disagree. Visit web sites and check things out.
Whatever you do,
DON’T DO NOTHING! Your job as a “Family Manager” is the most
important job you will ever have in your life. Be good at it!
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