Parents! Parents! Where are you? (Man: home, middle school, pharmacist)

[Justme2010]

Hi dear neighbors (I'm from Virginia),

I have two questions for you all parents.

a) How do you monitor your kids' school / home work?

b) Any idea as to what discuss forum(s) that parents most frequent?

Many thanks.

Don

[GottaHerdOn]

The first thing you should do is open a line of communication with their teacher, email or many now post grades online. Make sure you have your child bring home their completed work, but again the best way to monitor your childs progress is be in contact with their teacher. Trust me we love when parents are on our side in helping ensure students are doing their work

[Justme2010]

GottaHerdOn,

Thank you for your thoughts. My guess is, many parents would take a look at their kids's home work as well in addition to looking up grades which might be a bit too late... nowadays, many kids have computer to do assignment etc. do their parents look over a kid's computer to check on assignment? Digging stuff would be time-consuming for one thing and the action would also seem intrusive. What's your thought on that?

[GottaHerdOn]

Originally Posted by Justme2010

GottaHerdOn,

Thank you for your thoughts. My guess is, many parents would take a look at their kids's home work as well in addition to looking up grades which might be a bit too late... nowadays, many kids have computer to do assignment etc. do their parents look over a kid's computer to check on assignment? Digging stuff would be time-consuming for one thing and the action would also seem intrusive. What's your thought on that?

I wouldn't dig around their computer, they may feel that is a violation of personal space, also kids need a little privacy from their parents. Mom and Dad don't need to know everythinnnggg going on with their children. That's how I always felt when my parents did that. Snooping should never take the place of talking to your kids about what's important or the dangers in the world.

I would check though with their teacher, usually the teachers post all grades as soon as their graded, as most grades are now computed with pc programs. So I really think this would be the fastest way of seeing if there was a problem. Obviously if there is a problem then you could meet with the teacher to review the progress or problems and then form a plan of correction for the student. Email the teacher or call the school and arrange a meeting. It never hurts!

You could always set up a pattern where they bring home their homework in the evenings, however it would be up to their discretion. Again, that is where a good line of communication with the teacher/school would be beneficial.

[HomersBoy]

Originally Posted by Justme2010

How do you monitor your kids' school / home work?

Well, first of all let me say I came from a large family. There was 15 of us and we were very well disciplined. When Mom or Dad spoke, you listened and did as they asked. If you chose to do otherwise, you were in for a bad day. I've had my butt busted more times than I care to say and some would say they were more like beatings. We had to earn their trust and I loved and respected my parents to the very end. I wouldn't trade the way I was raised for anything this world has to offer. That being said, my wife and I raised 2 daughters of our own and pretty much held them to the same standards. We were blessed in that our girls weren't as mischievous as I was when I was a kid and I never had to use the belt much but I did on occasions have to use it. So you're probably wondering what does all this have to with school work. From day one, we sit down with our kids and helped them with their work, went over it with them every day and made it a family affair. We communicated with our children every day, one on one. If they didn't do well on an assignment, we spoke with their teacher to see what we as parents needed to to to help our girls to improve. They learned good study habits at a very young age and both were always at the top of their class. As they got older both played 3 sports in Middle School and High School and both did very well in those also. I taught them from the very beginning to give 100%. Always give your best and it will pay off I'd tell them and I held myself to the same standard. Maybe not today or the next day but sometime in the future. I think the most important thing was to discipline them when they needed it and encourage and praise them when they needed that too. As a parent, I was very watchful as to who my girl's friends were and I never missed an opportunity to point out a situation where I thought they could learn from. Accountability, you bet. When they were in high school we no longer had to worry about homework not getting done or poor grades. We expected them to make the grade and they also expected it from themselves. Both graduated from high school at the top of their class. My oldest is a Pharmacist and the youngest a Science Teacher and I couldn't be more proud of 2 kids in my life. I truly believe that discipline, love, respect, accountability, good work ethics, good moral values and communication are the key to raising a child that will succeed in today's world. Well, I never intended to write all that but to answer your question, my wife and I stayed involved with their every activity and supported them from the very beginning. We knew everything about our kids and their whereabouts. Did any of that make sense to anyone....lol.

[Threerun]

We see our kids planners which outline what is forthcoming, as well as work with them at home ongoing and monitor their grades on-line.

Since we eat dinner as a family every day, the conversation topics center around their studies addressing positive issues as well as areas they need additional support, etc.. Actually we open that up for Mom and Dad too- discussing the issues du-jour. It's not a one way discussion in other words. We think it's important for our kids to learn that 'learning' and problem solving are everyday occurrences- so get used to it, lol.

We also know their teachers and attend the parent/teacher conferences, so we can all get on the same page when it comes to their education.

[HomersBoy]

I agree 100% Threerun. By listening to our kids, we can learn more about the issues they face in a changing world and in turn help them to help themselves.

[Justme2010]

HomersBoy and Threerun, thank you both your thoughtful inputs.

Don