With the end-of-year holidays here, it's a good time to look back at the school year and take stock of parenting styles.
A recent op-ed column by Thomas Friedman in The New York Times, "How About Better Parents?" questions whether or not teachers are to blame for the fact that U.S. students don't score as highly as other countries on big international tests. Yes, good teachers are important. But, so are good, involved parents. And, "involved" doesn't necessarily mean what you think it does.
While it is important to attend PTA and school board meetings, volunteer in classrooms, and participate in fund-raising, that will not necessarily drive achievement. The factors that affect achievement are monitoring homework, making sure children get to school, and basically getting involved with children's learning at home. Andreas Schleicher, who oversees exams for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, told Thomas Friedman that "just asking your child how was their school day and showing genuine interest in the learning that they are doing can have the same impact as hours of private tutoring."
Camp directors and staff know this intuitively. All day long at camp, kids are involved in dialogues with their staff, peers and older campers about what they are doing and learning. So, if your child comes home with a great jump shot or a killer serve, you can certainly credit the great sports instruction. But, you also have to credit the time, energy and involvement of all those who spent time with your child, talked to him/her and discussed his/her day.
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