Not only teachers but also parents are responsible for educating children. With many schools transitioning to fully remote learning, parents have to do more than sign report cards yearly. They are the ones who spend the most time with their children these days. Thus they become active participants in children’s education. Fast-paced parents juggle jobs, daily errands, and various other duties. Overseeing their child’s schooling at home is another vital duty that many parents face since recently. Now, parents have to learn how to balance their own lives and be active participants in their children’s academic lives and provide them with the necessary support.
The new school semester has just started, and it’s a good time for parents to look at where their children are headed regarding educational progress and think of their involvement. Whether your child just entered school, is starting high school, or preparing for college, here are several ways to monitor your child’s educational progress:
Be Involved
Being present in the classroom is one of the best ways to keep an eye out on your child’s progress at school. Parents can volunteer at school, attend regular meetings, or practice drop-off/pick-up classroom visits. This will show your kids that you are interested in their education and motivate them. When the school is partially or fully online, try to participate in virtual meetings, connect with other parents online or schedule calls with teachers. However, consider some signals from your child to decide how much engagement is necessary. If your child appears embarrassed with you around at school or during online activities, think about doing something behind the scenes or taking a break. Your kids should not feel like you’re spying on them.
Know Your Child’s Learning Type
If you are unfamiliar with different learning types, read our blog post for more detailed information. Knowing your children’s learning type and how they better perceive information is a great facilitator. For example, some students understand and learn better when news is heard or spoken; others are tactile learners. Identifying their learning type will help with academic performance.
Monitor Children’s Performance
Observe and track how well your children do their assignments at home and how they prepare for tests, and recognize whether they have difficulties dealing with some subjects. You can create milestone checklists to chart kids’ success and note how they improve their skills. Many developmental tracking tools (like checklists, brochures, booklets, and fact sheets) are ready-made, or you can create your own using internet resources or just pen and paper.
Be Informed About Child’s Grades
Regularly check your child’s graded assignments, tests, exams, and performance task ratings. Collect teacher feedback when possible because the grade alone may not represent the child’s progress. Learn how your child’s teacher transmits qualities and look for individualized and actionable data based on your child’s performance.
Consider Educational Apps
Most likely, your children have at least one or several electronic devices at home (personal computer, tablet, smartphone, e-reader, etc.). Unfortunately, some parents still treat the iPad as a toy; it’s a mistake. Developmental apps and platforms are abundant. Modern e-learning platforms incorporate emerging innovations to map educational advances for children of different ages. Many have in-app portals for parents and trackers that analyze students’ progress based on their engagement. Explore what is out there and find the platform that will meet your needs.
Get Assistance
It may be challenging for working parents to balance their jobs and duties and monitor their children’s education (be it regular school or home-schooling). And that is normal. Do not hesitate to ask for a professional tutor’s help when you feel overwhelmed. There are many tutoring platforms for any budget. At Askademic, we have experienced tutors from all over the world who can help you with most school subjects. You can buy a class package or get one-time help with a school assignment.
Celebrate Success
Whether your child is a quick learner who excels at school or it takes her more time to learn new material, celebrates their success, big or small. Hearing praise from you will encourage and motivate them. It is also an excellent way to boost a child’s confidence and self-esteem. After all, children’s success is partially their parents’ success.
