Get Involved!

You don't have to be child's actual schoolteacher to be involved in his education. But it will take more than volunteering in a classroom one hour a week to have a real impact. If you just make a simple search online, you will find many researchers or parents saying that parental involvement in a child's education is directly linked to that child's success.

What parents must realise is that their involvement in their child's education is as important as any other area of their lives and requires as much attention. Just as we must be active, informed participants in health care today, we must also be active, informed advocates of our children's education. This doesn't happen if your level of involvement is to drop your child off at school and assume all is well until you pick him up each afternoon. To be informed you must get involved.

Here are three primary ways to get involved in your child's education.
1) Become Aware
2) Be Visible
3) Be Your Child's Advocate

Become Aware
There are many things you can do to become aware of the educational experience your child is receiving.
Get the school's perspective - not just your child's - on what is being taught. How?
- Read everything that comes home with your child, from their homework to the school newsletter.
- Check out the school's website.
- Attend Parent Teacher Meeting.
- Join the school Parents Support Group, if one exists.
- Set up conferences with your child's teachers before a problem crops up.
- Engage your child in conversation about school at a time when he is more likely to talk about it, example before bedtime or during a ride, etc.
Make the effort! When you do, you'll never be able to say, "I didn't know," or I wasn't aware.

Be Visible
Most parents come to school only for special events and then never seen again. But you know when you're involved when you walk into the front office and the school clerk know you by name, for a good reason. In order for that familiarity to take place, you must volunteer some of your time at the school. And when you do, volunteer somewhere other than your own child's classroom!

Join the Parents Support Group and help to set up events or fundraisers. Thank those involved with your child in a tangible way. Food works wonders, especially sweets! If you're visible, when a problem arises, teachers and staff will be more likely to contact you right away. And if you're approachable, they won't hesitate to include you in the inside information.

Be Your Child's Advocate
The word advocate can mean so many things: a backer, a fighter, a follower, a patron, a proponent, a saviour, a spokesman, or a sponsor. But each of these synonyms implies an active role. When you are someone's "advocate," you believe in them and their message to such an extent that you deliberately and actively promote their interests and protect their reputation.

Our children are not capable of being their own advocates, yet.

• It's up to us to back their pursuits,
• fight for their rights,
• follow their lead in how they learn,
• be their patron by supporting their talents,
• be a proponent for their needs,
• save them from dangerous situations,
• speak up on their behalf, and
• sponsor their efforts at achieving success.

 They, in turn, will learn to do the same for themselves and their children.

Remember that in every school, no matter which one you choose or you are being posted to, there are things that will go wrong. It's nature of life! Yet if you stay aware, make yourself visible, and become an advocate for your children, you will have the necessary tools to address any problem that might arise. And from your efforts, your child will learn what living in this world requires.

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