By Rondie George
Education should be threefold. It should involve the parent, teacher and student all working in harmony and working in a way that would improve the entire community.
1. PARENTS: You are the most critical component of your child’s learning. Instill a strong sense of education within your child from birth. Allow him or her to see you read, engage your child in problem solving skills and life skills daily. Keep up with your child’s progress weekly. Ask your teachers questions about performance, testing data, interpreting scores, behavior, etc. Attend regular conferences and school activities. Make sure your child always has school supplies. Limit television time/electronics during weekdays. Make sure your child eats a balanced meal, get enough sleep, drink plenty of water and take multivitamins daily. Make sure to set up a daily effective routine with your child that will provide structure and balance. -According to www.pbs.org, Although a parent’s role in their children’s learning evolves as kids grow, one thing remains constant: we are our children’s learning models. Our attitudes about education can inspire theirs and show them how to take charge of their own educational journey. For example, parents should be a role model for learning, pay attention to what your child loves, tune into how your child learns, practice what your child learns at school, set aside time to read together, connects what your child learns to everyday life, help your child take charge of his learning, don’t over schedule your child, and learn something new yourself.
2. TEACHERS: Have a passion for learning and teaching students each day. Make sure to plan effective, engaging lessons where you are the facilitator and the students are engaged in project-based learning with open-ended, critical thinking questions such as Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM).. Use effective graphic organizers, spend time on vocabulary and word study, phonics, grammar, and reading comprehension on a higher level of learning. Allow students to take effective notes, make their own study guides, summarize learning, and retell it to others. Show them multiple ways to solve problems, use illustrations and anchor charts. Greet kids each day and stay positive words to them. Attend professional development that will increase your skills and work hard on classroom management skills. Use humor daily. Be punctual and communicate effective with parents via phone, text, emails, website, etc. Get involved in community outreach programs designed to enrich and improve the total child. A great teacher is also inspirational, a motivator and a constant role model. Teachers must allow students to express learning in multiple ways in class, write about their thoughts and feelings about their work, share ideas and thoughts with other students, become involved in planning meaningful lessons, and use effective rubrics for grading and feedback.
3. STUDENTS: Take responsibility for your own learning. Take effective notes, bring all school supplies daily, be respectful and obedient to adults and peers, ask lots of questions about concepts and seek assistance when you are in need of extra help. They should involve themselves in community outreach programs and keep current with world and local happenings. Students should act as mentors for those who require additional help, be facilitators, and decision makers when it comes to their own learning. They should be able to retell lessons and concepts to peers and adults. They should also learn how to self monitor and perform daily self-evaluations. Students should also avoid distractions with toys and electronics, follow all class rules, discuss daily learning with parents, and always be the best that you can be daily.