You just got your child's grades, and they don't look good. It's only mid-year and there's still time to turn things around, but maybe you don't have resources in your area or the budget for a tutor. There's hope. The National Education Association offers this guide for parents, or you can follow these simple steps to work with your child at home:
- Proctor homework time.
According to the NEA and other sources, kids perform better in school when their parents are actively involved in their learning. Turn off the TV after dinner and make homework time a family affair. Maybe you and your spouse (or the sitter / nanny, or grandma) can take turns. Bring your own work or reading and set up a rigid study period at the dining room table. Being available will make your kids feel more comfortable approaching you with questions and asking for your help, and participating helps create structure.
- Work with teachers.
Call your child's teacher and ask for a copy of the syllabus / curriculum outline. Ask the teacher for insight into your child's in-class strengths and weaknesses so you know what areas to work on first. Make sure to check in with your child after all major assignments and tests, ask them how they felt and how they think they did, and then review the corrected papers or exams with them.
- Buy the Teacher's Edition.
Check out Textbooks.com or Amazon.comto purchase the solutions or answer key and teacher's edition of your child's textbooks. After working through homework or practice tests, go over your child's answers with them and use the teacher's edition to offer help for getting to the right answers. If you hit a wall, call in a tutor, approach the teacher for help, or purchase a supplementary book from the For Dummies
- Find an angle, spark an interest.
Help your kids find a connection with the subject matter, which may or may not seem totally dry to them. Find a way for them to care about what they're learning by using their interests to spark motivation. If it's languages your child is struggling with, try going on a trip to a place where the language is spoken (even an authentic restaurant), or rent foreign films on DVD from Netflix and try watching them with and without the subtitles. If biology is the issue, maybe a few episodes of House, ER or CSI might make the connection, or a trip to a local science museum (especially if you can find the traveling Bodies exhibit). If physics is the issue, try relating gravity and torque to cars, skateboards, or sports, depending on their interests. You get the idea.
For more tips, check out Working with Teachers for Tutoring Results.
Cheers,
Sheila
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