All parents want their children to succeed in school, but not all parents know how to help their children be successful students. Throughout literature, children have been compared to precious flowers, which need tending and cultivating to grow and blossom into fine adults. Children nurtured in a positive home learning environment arrive at school with attitudes and skills firmly planted in rich soil. Teachers can then feed and nurture those skills to help produce not only successful students, but also lifelong learners. How can a family provide a home environment conducive to learning?
Be involved.
Children need families to be involved in school life throughout their school career. Get involved and stay involved.
Provide Resources.
A place to study and an environment rich in learning opportunities is important. Provide the tools for learning-books, paper, pencils, crayons, magazines and experiences.
Support School Efforts.
Uphold school rules and goals both in conversation and in action.
Model.
Stress the value of education. Read and communicate the importance of lifelong learning.
Communicate.
Ask questions and listen.
A February 2001 editorial in the Washington Post reported the following information regarding the influences of the home:
“The intractable problem for schools is 11 9/9111 : Only 9% of the hours lived by young Americans between birth and their 18th birthday is spent in school, and the other 91%-families, popular culture and the cultures of the streets-often overwhelms what schools can do.
Therefore, it is important that a healthy, effectively functioning family fosters a learning environment by providing the basic needs, nourishing self-esteem, encouraging responsibility and independence, assisting in the selection and monitoring of activities, and providing adequate supervision.”
From Teddy to Ready(2002) by Susan Martelli
Taken from the family Recruitment Resource Notebook, sponsored by The Sunshine State School Public Relations Association State of Florida, 1990.
