Parents are every bit as important as teachers in the education of their youngsters. The answer to the persistent question asked of teachers by parents - "How can I get my child to want to learn?" - can be found in the parents themselves who have perhaps the most important role in stimulating their child's thirst for knowledge. The ace in the hole for the parents is the fact that they are the most important people in the lives of their children.
In order to be most effective in stimulating as well as guiding the child's interest in school and school activities, parents must remember that the child tends to share as well as imitate his parents' views and outlook about school. An affirmative, or rather a positive reminiscence of school days on the part of parents will tend to help the youngster decide that he or she likes school too. First and foremost among a child's educational needs is family approval of learning.
The youngsters who are guided by the knowledge that their parents stand behind them in getting an education study harder and do much better than those who think their parents do not care. Many benefits that can be reaped through the efforts of a parent's guidance program in the home are often lost simply because the parents never make their children aware of the genuine concern that is held for their educational advancement.
School must be given its proper place of importance in the home. A place and a time for study must be provided in order to insure the desired atmosphere for this, a most important phase of school life. Encouragement must be offered to the children to have them make extensive use of reference material and for them to study each and every subject. Furthermore, the children must be allowed to enter family discussions about current events. Togetherness is the byword.
