As a child, I always heard from my parents that education is the most important legacy that parents passed down from generation to generation, which involves the parents’ sacrifice and perseverance. Today the challenge as parents is to make sure that our children are prepared so that they can compete in the professional world as capable professionals and great decisions-makers who can carry out complex work tasks. Each school year, it is crucial for our children to reach academic skills according to their stage of growth.
I remember my first experience at school with my oldest daughter. I felt overwhelmed by the assignments and my daughter’s inability to smoothly adapt to first grade. Adaptation was crucial for me too, because as a new mother, naïve about many facets of the education system, I felt lost without support. The transition from day care to school was like a big jump in life. Many meetings, emails, and notes were sent to the teacher that allowed me to understand how to help my daughter, but what really made a difference was that, inadvertently, my husband and I designed an action plan for her education.
So, how does one draft it and make it happen? It required familiarizing yourself with what is necessary and important for your child at every stage of his or her life as a student. Not all children have the same learning skills. It is the parents’ job is to support and discover how our children learn because all children have the ability to learn. It is productive to get involved in school and regularly visit the classroom and teacher. Model your child your interest that emerge in life and trust fully in their ability to learn. Engage in conversations by asking how was your day at school? Talk about future career plans, starting from an early age, which is always sooner than later to exchange ideas and set up high expectations in life.
Education is an integral part in the life of every family and determines the ability of our children find their place in society as productive citizens. I encourage you to start or continue the individual action plan for education in accordance with the academic standards required by the student’s academic grade. The work is hard but rewarding when we see our children reach their academic goals. Seek support from your local PTA and get involved effectively in school decisions that shall benefit your child and all children in your community.
Armen Alvarez is the Multicultural Membership Development Manager at National PTA.
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