One of the main areas of a child’s life that affects how well she will grow into a successful, competent adult is that of education. And the major issue that affects a child’s education is directly related to the quality and competence of the teachers she has. Nowhere is this more important than in the first three grades of school. These are the years where children are learning the basics in reading and mathematics.
There are specific actions a parent can take that will increase the likelihood of their children receiving effective instruction at school. The most important one is to determine the quality of their child’s teacher. The best way do go about this is to visit the classroom and observe the teacher and then have a conversation with her. There are several specific things you are looking for: What does the teacher value in the classroom? Observe the classroom, looking around to see how the classroom is arranged and what is on the walls. You are looking for students work displayed.
Watch how the teacher interacts with all of the students and how she handles the interaction between students.
Talk with the teacher about instruction, particularly in reading and math. Ask about what you can do at home to help your child.
Talk with the teacher about your child, looking for specific things about your child and how she is doing. Share with her any information that will help her deal with you child.
Pay attention to how your child talks about school when she comes home from school.
Listen as she talks about her desire to learn and how she feels about school and her teacher when discussing her school experience
It is critical that you be involved in your child’s education, what she is learning, how she is doing in the basic subjects, and what can be done to assure she is on or above grade level in both math and reading in these very vulnerable early grades.