Question: How can I help my child have a successful school year?

Answer:  Successful students usually have parents who are actively engaged in their children’s lives.  With our twins in their final year of college, my husband and I can personally vouch for this fact.  Throughout our twins’ K-12  school years, we were both parents who worked to stay on top of what was going on in their lives.  Plus, each year, either one or both of us did some type of volunteer work at their schools.  In fact, for seven of these years, I served as their school’s Parent-Teacher Association ( PTA)  president or vice-president.  I would regularly give fellow parents a lot of the same advice for helping their children do well in school.

Again, as parents, it is very important to know what is going on in your children’s lives.  You should know the names of their teachers.  Go out to their school for parents meetings and programs.  Keep up with what subjects your children are studying and what grades they are making.  Work with your children’s teachers, so you’ll know, for example, if your child needs tutoring or is having trouble with their vision.  Getting on top of possible problems early will increase your child’s chances of success much sooner in the school year.

Remember that a child’s first teacher is their parent.  Children naturally look to their parents for guidance in life.  In fact, the Bible reminds us that parents are their child’s most important teacher.  Proverbs 1:8 says, “My son, hear the instruction of your father,  And do not forsake the law of your mother,…”  (NKJV)  Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go,  And when he is old he will not depart from it.” (NKJV)

All said, being able to stay actively involved in your child’s life, takes time.  These days, many parents are working  longer hours on their jobs.  They have both their children and themselves involved in several activities outside of school.   They hardly have time to have a meal around the dinner table together.  Therefore, if parents want to make sure they are making the honor roll themselves this school year, they must find ways to increase the amount of quality time they give to their children.   Parents who can use some good tips for helping them increase their quality family time should check out Focus on the Family’s new fall feature, “Today I will…”  This Christian resource can be used to help strengthen your entire family…one day at a time.  Just go to www.focusonthefamily.com.

Helpful Links:

Focus on the Family  http://www.focusonthefamily.com

Crown Financial Ministries   http://www.crown.org

The Christian Broadcasting Network   http://www.cbn.com

World Magazine     www.worldmag.com