What do pro-education moms and dads do for their children and the schools those kids attend? The list is long. Education-friendly parents give their time and financial resources to make learning fun and available to as many youngsters as possible. It doesn’t take much for a working adult to make the educational situation better.
Not only do they volunteer as teaching aides and tutors, but they also raise funds, cosign college loans, assist with homework, serve on the local PTA, donate supplies, support homeschooling, and more. Being education-friendly makes a huge difference in the overall quality of learning for young people of all ages. Here are more details about the many ways in which mothers and fathers contribute to the education of their own children and the overall effort of schools.
Volunteer in Local Schools
Yes, there are reasons students should help each other in the classroom, but who’s helping the teachers and administrators? Without volunteers, most school districts and homeschools would suffer from shortages of qualified help. What kinds of tasks can you volunteer for? Besides working alongside a classroom instructor as an aide, there’s a nationwide need for subject tutors, fundraisers, and field trip chaperones. Aides help teachers grade papers, work with small groups, deliver presentations, and conduct tests. Tutors can serve online or in live classrooms during the day. Fundraising efforts are seasonal events in which adults in the community work their phones and knock on doors for school-related causes.
Cosign on a Student Loan
It’s rather common for students to max out their federal loan limits before reaching the amount they need to cover all their college bills. What’s the next step? Other options include asking for help from parents or applying for private loans. Unfortunately, families don’t always have the resources, and it’s tough to get approved for a loan if you have little or no credit history. In that case, it makes sense to get a co-signer.
Most young people ask their parents who can leverage their good credit scores to pull a loan application across the finish line. If you’re a parent who is considering adding your signature to a child’s college loan application, the first step is to review a complete, plain language guide that explains all the important points about the process. Cosigning is a direct way to help finance a degree for a young person.
Help with Homework
Most adults have fond memories of getting help with academic assignments from parents, older siblings, or neighbors. Taking the time to guide a young person through a homework task is a direct, effective way to support their effort to survive all the challenges of being a student. Some children struggle more than others with each day’s assignments, but all youngsters can benefit from your availability and occasional moral support during difficult tasks.
Join the PTA
Becoming a part of the Parent Teacher Association is a major commitment for any adult, particularly those whose children attend the local schools. Though the time element is not excessive, there can be outside duties that take up free evenings on occasion. However, moms and dads who join their district’s PTA learn plenty about how the system operates and how to make it better. Only a small percentage of parents tackle this challenge, but those who do, for a few months or years, invariably come away from the experience feeling very good about what they did.
Donate Supplies & Money
Far too many districts operate under budget year after year. Parents who can afford to make direct cash donations to teachers have the power to change the course of a school’s future. In some cases, such contributions can be tax deductible, but that’s a matter for your accountant to settle. The primary motivation of adults who donate cash to educational causes is not to get a tax break but to help others succeed.
An overlooked way to assist is through a donation of needed goods, like art supplies, sports equipment, audio-visual devices, computers, uniforms, furniture, and more. Contact the principal of the institution and ask what kinds of things are in short supply. Districts usually have one person who can pick up anything you donate and deliver it directly to the place where it’s most needed. There are also websites for school supply donations that you can utilize for systems outside your family’s district.
Support Local Homeschools
The homeschool movement has grown rapidly in the past decade. In some states, it’s close to surpassing the public school systems in the number of students, courses offered, and standardized test scores. But the network desperately needs the assistance of like-minded adults who have the resources and desire to create more educational options for young minds.
Even if your children attend private, charter, and public elementary and high schools, consider supporting the homeschool movement with donations, advocacy, and volunteering. Every effort helps, and the concept has proved to be a massive success for millions of kids who have gone from kindergarten through grade 12 in the system. Homeschooling is now available in most states, and the reach of the programs continues to grow.
