Helene Goldnadel on The Pivotal Role Of Parents In Education

The pillars of education are the child, the teacher and the parent, but the latter is often overlooked. None can argue that a child must take education personally and make all efforts to excel at it. Teachers, on their part, must impart the necessary knowledge and education to learners. The two must spend constructive and adequate time together during the learning process. The teacher must follow the stipulated curriculum and test the knowledge of the learner often. As for the learner, constant attendance and concentration during lessons is a prerequisite for effectual learning. However, unless the parent prepares the child materially, supervises homework and monitors the child's progress in tandem with the teacher, the child will not make significant academic progress. The role of the parent in child education cannot be overestimated.

Helene Goldnadel is of the view that the parent must give the child a home environment conducive to learning. The guardian must pay the concomitant fees and make sure the child is clothed and fed well. Every child must attend school within the required time and prepare mentally for lessons. Parents who neglect this duty make it difficult for their children to concentrate in school, and to understand learning content. Some of the affected children eventually drop out of school since they lack the materials needed in learning. The child and the teacher cannot play the role of the parent.

In addition, responsible parents supervise and help their children when the latter are doing homework, as part of their roles in child education. Reputable schools give children some work to do at home as part of continuous assessment. For the parent, this is the right platform for assessing the progress of the child. Normally, homework covers the topic addressed in school during the day. A keen parent will, therefore, understand whether the child is improving in learning. Helping the child complete homework also enables the parents to identify areas of weakness, and to raise such issues with the teacher at an appropriate time.

Finally, parents must meet with the teacher regularly to mutually assess the child's advancement in learning. Each of the parties understands the child from different perspectives. The parent knows the character of the child from home, while the parent is familiar with how the child behaves in school. The two, together with the child, can come up with a strategy to improve results. However, it is the parent's role to initiate conversation with the teacher, especially in aspects where the child is weak. Such a parent will then take remedial action, if the problem is emanating from home.