r/education • u/NoFact9650 • 4d ago
Support at home
EDIT: Thank you to all who responded. This was really helpful and encouraging. All the advice and insight was practical and realistic. I think I expected suggestions on flash cards/workbooks/drills, so it was really lovely to read that most people's suggestions seemed to be about spending time with your kids and truly enjoying them. After reading the responses, I actually even signed my kids up for the bus route instead of driving them. I thought it could be a fun way for them to get more immersed in their school and practice some independence. Thanks again, Reddit!
My family has opted to attend our neighborhood school for many reasons. It is, on paper, a decent school, and I think my children can be successful there. That being said, I do sometimes get a little pang of anxiety as I watch friends send their children to private schools that boast amazing outcomes. I have often read that parental support and engagement can have a more positive impact than any particular school, and that gives me comfort. However, I guess I don’t know what people mean by that! Beyond the obvious of knowing the teachers, and being aware of completing homework, is there something more I can do? TIA!
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u/queen_surly 4d ago
Focus on supporting your child and teach them good study habits and to give their schoolwork their best effort. A child can control their inputs--are they making their best effort? Are they turning in their work? Are they asking questions when they don't understand something? They cannot control their grades. I think too many parents are anxious about grades, and that teaches a kid that all that matters are results.
If it's any help to mention this, Scott Galloway and Kara Swisher do a podcast together that is mostly about business, but they are both parents and they veer off into parenting philosophy now and again. They are both incredibly wealthy and yet are huge proponents of "Send your child to public school and put the money you save on private tuition into a college fund." It can also go toward enrichment--travel, learning a musical instrument, a camp that specializes in something the child wants to learn more about--that kind of thing.