Parental involvement in a child’s education is obviously a key ingredient in the success or failure of a child’s educational development. As we have discussed in class, the home is almost, if not more so important than the school building. Parental involvement is not just going to cheer for your child’s soccer game or going to P.T.A meetings or going with your child’s class on field trips. More important than any of that is showing encouragement to your child by surrounding your child with educational opportunities.
Even President Obama said in his most recent (or second most recent state of the union) that education starts at the home! No matter what a school can do, if the child does not have parents that care for the education of their child, they will not succeed academically. It is not a fact, it is simply my theory that is supported by my life experience.
The question I have to anyone who cares to respond is: what can be done to educate parents on the opportunities and activities they can participate in to help shape their children’s education and effectively, their knowledge? Second, what do you think is a more effective way of showing support: Simply showing up for P.T.A meetings (and not contributing but also showing support by being there) or surrounding your child with educational resources and outlets outside of school (ie; books, museum trips)? By the way, I’m not saying that one is a negative – I do believe that both are positives in the support of a child’s education – but I do want to know whether people think one is more important than the other on a larger scale.
