Q) 'Parents and teachers are partners in the education of children' In what ways can parents and teachers contribute to the education of children?
As much as many students would love to deny it, education is essential for our future. Education does not only consist of school, books and examinations, but more importantly, education involves developing the minds of students to not only think but to feel, sympathize and to appreciate. This definition will be important in determining ways both parents and teachers can contribute to the education of children. Parents and teachers should make use of their different relationships with the children to their advantage, always keeping in mind the true meaning of education.
Research shows that the most effective forms of parent involvement in their children's education are those which engage parents in working directly with their children on learning activities in the home. This include reading with their children, supporting their work on homework assignments, or tutoring them using materials. Many parents believe that the responsibility of educating their children falls on the school and teachers. This is a grave misconception as we can see this from the definition of education given in beginning that parents play a great role in educating their children in terms of nurturing and ensuring that they are morally upright. This is especially true since the parent-child relationship is often closer than that of a teacher-student relationship. Often, teachers have to cater to the masses and cannot be biased to any particular student's religion or belief. Parents should also realise that their children are human and can greatly affected by their comments. Encourage them and do not put them down, but critic and warn where discipline is due. Assist them, but do not spoon feed them for it will only harm them, after all education also involves learning from your mistakes. Parents are just one half of a holistic education,...