Supporting Children Through School

Some of you may know that by day, I’m a teacher in a secondary school. It’s a job that I have a love-hate relationship. Love the job, school and the people I work with – hate the politics behind it all and hate hate hate the pressures I see some of my colleges under, to see people seeing their love for the job being robbed from them by Ofsted’s and the government’s continuous goal post changes. Despite cuts and ever increasing pressures, teachers still strive to do their best daily to provide the best education for our children. I’m incredibly proud of the school I work in and think all teachers deserve a medal for their commitment and passion.

So, it got me thinking. How can we support our school age children further, to help support the work these wonderful teachers do?

Get involved

Most schools will have a PTA and many of them, especially in secondary schools, are usually calling out for parents to get involved. PTA’s will usually take the role of fundraising, organising and helping at school events. If you’re wanting to have an even bigger role in school why not apply to be a school governor (if a position is available)?

Help your child to become organised

It’s a skill many children/teenagers struggle with, but it will benefit them so much come exam period and obviously into adulthood. There are a number of things that you can do to encourage this, a homework routine, guiding them on how to use a planner/calendar, giving them unstructured time. Free time can allow them to ‘learn from mistakes’ – children will often be rather doing other things, but having a dialogue with them and encouraging them to use their free time wisely may help to set good habits.

Engage with the teachers

This is one for secondary aged children, where sometimes the communication is lacking. If your child isn’t forthcoming about their curriculum, why not talk to the teachers? Gaining an understanding of the current curriculum/topics may then help you to support your child further. Most schools have teachers email addresses readily available on their website – use them. You wouldn’t be bothering them, in fact, they would probably welcome positive communication.

Support children in extracurricular activities

Hobbies benefit children in numerous ways and they give kids something constructive to do with their time. So, consider your kids’ talents and interests. guide them but don’t pressure them. Give them time to try a lot of things before you spend money. The important thing is to get them thinking, creating and learning all while having fun. It can develop skills such as,

Building confidence
Organisation skills
Problem solving
Leads to lifelong interests
Teaches goal setting
etc

Hobbies can become quite expensive, my daughters own dancing lessons have slowly started to accumulate with the uniform, shoes, shows, lessons and exams – but having done all that myself as a child I know it’s so beneficial. It spurs me on to work harder to provide her with experiences such a this. I’m sure my son will be the same, at the age of 20 months he already loves football. I can picture him trotting through the door with a letter for a sports tours trip, those kinds of experiences are where children flourish, learning outside the classroom in a setting that inspires them.

Support their wellbeing

As a parent, this is a no brainer and obviously, we support their wellbeing. But something that is becoming ever more evident is the number of students that are suffering the mental health issues. I’m an advocate of mindfulness and this can help children of all ages, from tots to teens. There are so many helpful studies and guides out there on how to Raise a Happy, Successful Child: 25 Tips Backed by Science.