She can teach her children

So, I got a call from a dear friend yesterday, who finally got her child into Challenger (a private preschool) about six months ago. She was besides herself. Apparently after 6 months of high tuition and all day preschool her daughter is not ready for Kindergarten. The reason? She can’t read. Challenger is known to be a year ahead of the average classroom. Their standards are tough. But it is Challenger, I mean I think I was thinking on the night that I helped celebrate her admittance that everything would be ok now, that Challenger would teach her everything she needs to know and that her dear mother could take a big sigh of relief and go about her way without worrying about anything but the tuition fee. When I got this call, I immediately thought of my relationship with my child’s teachers and how much of my child’s education is their responsibility and how much is mine. I’ve gone back and forth. With my first child, I wanted to be the one to teach her to read. I wanted to be there when she took her first steps and I wanted to be there when she read her first book. So I taught her to read before kindergarten. And she has been happily reading above grade level ever since. My second child is a different type of learner and teaching him to read wasn’t as easy as the first. He had so many other ambitions and distractions and when Kindergarten came I turned him over to the professionals feeling like I had a big F on my own report card already. I helped in the class 4 days to five days a week. My heart broke every time he didn’t understand a question…and I didn’t know how to help. I became dependent on those more qualified to teach my child but longed to be able to participate in his education, to help him take those important steps toward success. By the end of his kindergarten year I had become very knowledgeable of the kindergarten standards and even added a few tricks of the trade to my tool belt. When he was in second grade I became a substitute teacher and I found a learner like my son in every class I taught. I watched how the teachers helped them. I went back to school in a way. In classrooms all over the district, I found golden nuggets that helped me to help my son and I would take them home and supplement his education with the ideas teachers had given me. And today I have reached a happy medium. I can share the responsibility I have for my children’s education with the teaching professionals at school and I have found the necessary materials to teach them independently as well. I am more self sufficient and confident in their education and I get the privilege of witnessing that amazing moment when the light goes on in their minds and their face lights up, when they gain understanding of a difficult concept. It is just as powerful, just as illuminating, just as fulfilling as watching them take their first steps.  Here are some ideas I have found along the way…

1. Know the standards. Books like What Your Preschooler Needs to Know, and the Internet can be wonderful resources and let you know where your child is among other children and where you can help.

2. Teach your child to master, reading, writing and arithmetic. Think of it like this; once your child masters these three things the rest is just a cherry on top. Read to and have your child read aloud twenty minutes a day. Have them write in their journals and or practice their handwriting as much as you can, in the car between soccer games etc. For math they need to know addition, and subtraction and multiplication as quick as a snap. The rest comes easier when these things are mastered. These are your major responsibilities in their education. Let your child’s teacher handle the rest.

3. Use the Internet as a resource. There are many Games for your child online for free. There’s also the classics like PBSKids.com, look for Reading Between the Lions and Word Girl. PBSKidsGo.org is for older children, look for Zoom and Fetch. There is also Hulu.com for educational shows and documentaries.

4. Some of my favorite resources and books, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, Math Card Games, Sight Words by Grade, School Fonts, Scholastic Printables and Mini Books to Print Out

5. When you have done all you can do to help your child learn the basics, let go and let God. A good education is the basis for self-reliance and Heavenly Father wants your child to know these basic things and sometimes after you have worked like it all depends on you, you have to pray like it all depends on Him.