You want your child to do well at school. Yet to help her get ahead – at both primary and secondary school – there are certain things her teacher wishes you wouldn’t do.
Don’t do your child’s homework
When teachers set a project to do something about the rainforest and a child comes in with an LED lit-up model, complete with rain clouds, they know the parents have been working away in the garage – and ordering parts on Amazon to build it. It then becomes nothing more than a competition between parents and it totally detracts from the child’s creativity. Although it’s done in a supportive way, it really limits the kids. I love it when a child comes in with something a bit wobbly. It might not be the best-looking one but she’s built it herself and used her imagination.
Don’t carry your child’s bag at the end of the school day
Don’t automatically carry your child’s bag when she finishes school. She will have happily carried it around at school. Yet we often see parents come to pick up their children and the child doesn’t even say hello, but instead just throws her bag at her parent … and the parent just picks it up.
Don’t make excuses if your child doesn’t do her homework
Let your child take responsibility if she doesn’t do her homework. There comes an age – especially at the start of secondary school – that your child has to see there is a consequence if she is asked to do something and doesn’t. Don’t get cross with the school if your child is put in detention. Let her have the lunchtime detention – it will mean next time she will do her homework.
Don’t undermine the teacher’s authority
It’s really difficult leading a class of 30 children without the parents supporting you. Sometimes parents will disagree with something a teacher has done in school. But rather than saying to your child, ‘I’ll sort this out, don’t worry’, it would be more helpful if they could say, ‘I don’t agree with this so I’ll go into school and find out what it’s all about.’ That way, even if parents are annoyed with us, they’re not letting their kids know. And they are not promising to ‘sort the teacher out’ which totally undermines our authority and leads the kids to think they are untouchable.
Don’t give your child a book that’s too old for her
Reading with your child at home is brilliant. But don’t give her Dan Brown novels to read when she is eight. Loads of kids come in with huge novels to highlight how brilliant they are at reading. But they are full of adult content. The kids are not even really reading it – it’s not helping their comprehension and reasoning. Yes, be proud your child is an amazing reader, but go to the library and ask for an age-appropriate book.
Don’t assume you can’t phone your child’s teacher
Most parents are working and we know it’s hard to get out to come to school. So if you’re worried about something, call the office and we’ll call you back at lunchtime. Lots of parents don’t seem to realise they can phone their child’s teacher but they can. 👨â€ðŸ‘¶ðŸ½ðŸ‘©â€
