Improve Your Child’s School Performance: The 7 Ways

 

School is where kids acquire the bulk of their learning, but it is hard to have success at school without a solid foundation of education in the home, starting at a very early age and continuing through the teen years. Most parents are aware of the things they can do to prepare their young children for the school years, but too many parents neglect to continue their early efforts, assuming that the teachers will take care of the rest. If you want your child to have the best chances of success later in life, it is important to continue your educational efforts. Here are just a few ways that you can help.

7 Ways to Improve Your Child’s School Performance

1. Reading – According to the U.S. Department of Education, parents should make an effort to read to their children at least 30 minutes a day. Because very young children often do not have the patience for reading sessions this long, it may be advisable to break it up into several short reading periods throughout the day. This prepares the child to learn to read, and it strengthens the parent-child bond. Even after a child starts reading on his or her own, it is an essential activity.
2. Talk about should – Many children are in the habit of putting school out of their minds as soon as they get home, but if you want your child to remain engaged and perform well in her homework, try to make sure she does not forget what she learned that day. At dinner and other convenient times, ask about what types of things she learned in school that day, and be sure to ask follow-up questions and engage in real conversation. This will keep her thinking about what she learned, which will assist in internalizing the new information.
3. Fill your home with books – Studies have shown that children who grow up in houses that are full of books tend to fare better in school. Even if you do not have tons of books, just a few dozen high-quality and interesting books can make a huge difference. Having newspapers and magazines around can also help.
4. Be involved with school – Parental engagement translates into child engagement, and it keeps you abreast of what is happening during those hours when your child is at school. As much as your schedule allows, try to be active in the parent-teacher community, and make sure that you establish strong relationships with all your child’s significant teachers. A positive side effect of this is that it will set a positive example of community involvement for your children to emulate.
5. Be open to questions – Children usually get the chance to ask questions at school, but in many cases there either is not enough time, or kids are simply too embarrassed to ask certain questions. Try to make yourself into a go-to educational resource that your children can use whenever school is inadequate. Inform them that no questions are too silly, and that you will help them track down the answers to any questions you are unsure of.
6. Offer continuous encouragement – Most parents try to find a balance between overpraising their kids and not giving them enough encouragement. While your particular approach will depend on your child’s personality and your own parenting style, it is always a good idea to make sure your child knows you notice the work he puts into learning, and that you are proud of his achievements. Kids get reinforcement at school, but parental encouragement is much more valuable.
7. Place limits on media – The American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that parents permit their children no more than two hours of media consumption per day. This applies to television, video games, the internet, and mobile devices. When you add all these things together, two hours of media time may seem draconian to the youth of today, but kids have a remarkable ability to get used to these things.

7 Ways to Make a Good Impression

Impressions are important: They leave an initial taste in people's mouths that can remain prevalent for the entire relationship. If you are paranoid about what kind of impression you make, run through these seven list items and see if you are consistent with them; if you are, then you will probably expose the best of yourself. If not, then work to meet these standards.

1. Dress: The absolute first impression you will make on someone will be through your clothing, because that is what is seen from a distance, and cannot change throughout your meeting. Make sure to dress according to the situation-don't over or under dress-and maintain within the limits of good taste. If you aren't sure if what you're wearing looks good, ask people for an honest opinion. One last thought: always, and I mean always, pull up your pants.more ways after the break...

 

2. Hygiene: Take a shower! Shave! Brush your teeth! You must be fully bathed and groomed before you meet with someone for the first time, because scruffy looking people generally don't seem as neat and mature. Pay attention to the little elements like breath: keep a pack of mint gum with you wherever you go, and periodically check to make sure you aren't killing bugs every time you breathe out. If you sweat heavily, keep a small stick of deodorant/anti-perspirant close, and if you notice you're stinking you can freshen up. People notice the minutiae! 

 3. Manners: At the table and with other people be civilized, polite and respectful: keep your elbows off of the table, open doors for people and address everyone-initially, at least-by their formal title. This will make an especially good impression on senior citizens, because you will prove that you aren't one of those "new fangled punks." 

4. Speech: Have clean, clear diction and speak sans "like" or "you know." It is important to be articulate because that inspires a feeling of intelligence and education in the person you are meeting with. Always leave out profanity, and whatever you do, make sure to speak loud enough for all to hear, because conversationalists are easily agitated if you force them say "excuse me?" more than a few times. 

5. Discretion: Choose what to share about yourself: forget to tell everyone about that time you went camping and ruptured your appendix, then fell face first into a pile of bug infested leaves-it is rude and will alienate you from the group. Try to withhold from conversations on personal subjects like religion or more disgusting topics like personal medical care. Before you speak, think about the possible impact of what you might say, then imagine its implications in the long run. 

6. Humor: Humor can be your most powerful tool or your doom, because everyone has a slightly different sense of humor. What might be hilarious to you might seem disgusting to another, or vice versa. Try to withhold from any jokes that aren't family or dinner table friendly; you can tell those later.

7. Start and End with a Bang: I am a classical musician, and in my orchestra, among other messages, the conductor tells us that the "audience remembers mostly the first and last notes of a symphony." This is the same in a personal encounter: whoever you are meeting with will remember how you greet them, and then in what manner you left them. If you feel you have trouble with this, practice a few different phrases in the mirror, and introduce elements like: "pleased to meet you," or "honored to make your acquaintance." Ignore the antiquity of these phrases; it often makes them more memorable.

Making a good impression will set any relationship off on a good foot. If you are in a situation where you need to be judged at face value-such as a job interview or date-then make sure to go through this list and make sure you are within bounds of reason and good taste on all of your decisions.