By Erica Hawthorne
Outside of eating lunch with your child every now and then and parent-teacher conferences, how often are you able to drop in at your child’s school? Probably not often, considering most of us are extremely busy with life. However, even if it’s just for an hour here or an hour there, doing drive-bys at your kids’ school is beneficial, and here’s why:
You Get To See What They Really Do At School
If you’re anything like me, at some point, part of your daily routine is asking your kids, “How was your day? What did you do at school today?” It has been my experience that asking such a broad question, particularly to younger kids, doesn’t yield the best results. I learned a couple things by going to their school:
- They do exercises in class every morning while they watch the school news. This is separate from what they do in gym class, and I think it’s awesome they start their days off with exercise!
- They do not go to the library as a class and since there are only four passes for the class, each kid may not be able to go every day.
I have three children in school and no one has ever mentioned these things to me!
You’re Able To Better Hold Them Accountable
My daughter and I went through a phase a couple months ago, where she claimed she hadn’t been taking AR (Accelerated Reading) Tests because “she just didn’t have time.” One day, to her surprise, I showed up in her classroom right after she had breakfast. I shadowed her as she went through her morning routine and we were both able to conclude that she has more than enough time to take AR Tests. Now that she knows I am holding her accountable for how she uses her time at school, she now finds the time to knock those tests out!
It Gives Them A Chance To Show Off!
Everyday your child is learning, learning, learning–being quizzed on what they’ve learned and you’re not usually there to see it. But if you were, it would be like a show, and who better to have in the audience than your parents? I enjoy seeing my kids light up and put on an academic show for me when I’m in their class! They’re so eager to answer every question just to show their momma that they know their stuff. They’re proud, I’m proud…it’s a win-win situation.
Because You’re Part Of The Village
Once you become a regular visitor, you will get to know all the kids and they will get to know you. When I enter a classroom, all the kids rush up to give me a hug as if I’m their mom! Having a relationship with these kids makes it easier for me to intervene when I see kids doing or saying something they shouldn’t be! As a result, I feel that being an involved parent, lowers my kids’ (as well as other kids) chances of being bullied. Now I could be wrong, but I think I’m right. Teachers, as great as they are, cannot do it all on their own, and help from parents is always appreciated.
Erica Hawthorne is a single mom who lives in Georgia with her three kids.