Tailoring Your Child’s Education
By Mary Ibe/Special to the Daily Press
One of the questions on the extensive survey that parents complete for the Academy of Academic Excellence (AAE) asks parents what they value most in their child’s education. Responses from this year indicate that 51 percent of the parents most value their children gaining confidence to pursue social, civic and economic opportunities, while only 13.6 percent said that they value getting high scores on standardized tests. This information provides a clear message to the school about how learning should be structured.
Not all schools have such valuable information about their students on hand. That is why it is important for parents to know their own child. It is up to parents to tailor their child’s education. My humble Italian immigrant grandmother saved her pennies so that my mom could have bus fare to get to free art lessons at the local museum. Grandma is a shining example of understanding her child’s gifts and needs, then pursuing a viable path to get those needs met. (Mom had a long career as a commercial artist). Parents today are no different. The large number of charter, magnet, homeschool and private schools in the High Desert area indicates that local parents are keenly interested in finding the right ‘niche’ for their child’s education.
You may not have the opportunity or the finances to pursue one of the niche schools described above, but don’t let that stop you. It is the parent’s responsibility to evaluate areas of educational importance for each child in the family. Additionally, the burden of religious, moral, cultural and civic education lies primarily with the parents, although the school may support these areas. You were your child’s very first teacher and you’ll remain their mentor, in some form, throughout their lifetime.
Stylizing an educational plan for your child takes some effort. Begin by understanding your child’s areas of giftedness and weaknesses. Determine ways in which these areas can be nurtured. Local community programs, churches and outreach programs often offer low-cost or free services that will be enriching for your child. Just get out the phone book and find out what is available.
Get to know your child’s school. Most schools have a presence on the Internet or have pamphlets on-site. Find out the school’s mission, philosophy and other pertinent data. Also, get to know your child’s teacher and keep communication pleasant, simple and informative.
To understand the school’s educational expectations for your child, view the state educational standards for your child’s grade level at www.cde.gov. You can also check out the school’s accountability report card at the same website. Every parent is responsible for understanding their child’s school, its expectations and for nurturing their child’s own unique talents. These are the stepping-stones to building an educational plan that works for your child.
Mary Ibe has been a science teacher for 16 years, a National Certified Teacher and the Manager of Educational Research and Development at the Lewis Center for Educational Research. For more information on this subject, you can email Mary at mibe@lcer.org or cthompson@lcer.org. or call 760-946-5414 ext 202.
Used with permission by Daily Press, Freedom Communication, 2003