Why You Shouldn’t Leave Education up to the School
In the Smorgasbord of Maths training I explained why I left teaching, and why I set up Skills4Parents. When I explained my vision for changing education those watching sent me lots of love with those wonderful heart emojis. It was such an emotional moment.
Where it started
I left teaching after 16 years because it was all about results, results, and results. It didn’t matter what was going on in a child’s life, I had to get results out of them. I was a well-respected teacher, but sometimes children had other things going on and it wasn’t the right time for them.
Over time, I couldn’t do it any more. My own mental health was damaged by it all. I was seeing the pressure that was put on young people, and I thought that there had to be another way.
I left teaching, got myself healthy and after 2 years set up Skills4Parents. Some parents decide to homeschool, but that’s not right for everyone. There needs to be an in between, where parents can influence their child’s education, and I wanted to empower them.
Why Parents?
I ran workshops for parents whilst I was teaching, and parents enjoyed understanding what they could do to help your children.
I noticed that those parents who got involved with their children’s learning and supported the school, improved the results of their children. Problems could be solved, communication improved, children did better.
I wanted to change a corner of the education system and realised that if I could support parents I could have a positive impact.
We saw some of the issues when schools closed too. Children still needed to learn. Parents felt inadequate and anxiety soared. It was in this time I started the free Facebook group Education Support 4 Parents.
The Evidence
I’ve since seen research that evidences that parental engagement gives children higher attainment. This article is a very interesting read.
In 2008 John Hattie said that a child would do TWO GRADES better if their parent was actively involved in their education.
It’s not just attainment; ParentKind cite other areas such as behaviour, confidence and self-esteem that improve when parents are involved in education.
My solution
That’s why I developed Foundations4Homework, my flagship course which will teach you to motivate your child in a positive way.
You will learn the modern maths methods so that you know what your child is doing.
You’ll know where to go to get help,
AND how to give feedback to the school about where your child is struggling.
