1. Pray for your child’s teacher. James 5:16b “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Pray for wisdom in making the thousands of decisions that are made in a day. Pray that the teacher will have a solid walk with the Lord.
2. When you ask, “What did you learn in school today?” really mean it and expect an answer. This is also a good way to review for the child.
3. Check your child’s work every day–even if he says he* did it in study hall.
4. NEVER say, “That’s okay, I hated science when I was in school, too.” Even if you did hate science, you should have a positive outlook on learning, especially those subjects that you did not enjoy.
5. Have a specific time and place for doing homework, without the distraction of T V, music (although some students respond well to music. Make sure it is not a distraction.), and the Internet.
6. Do not let jobs or sports interfere with education. That is why he is in school. I am not saying he should not be involved in anything else, but the proper priority should be given to school. You only get one chance at high school.
7. Encourage your child to do his best. This philosophy of life will develop into a tremendous character quality.
8. Be available to study with your child. Try to make studying fun. Think of a creative reward system that will help motivate. Use praise often. Work on one subject or project at a time. Don’t put a pile of books on the desk. It becomes the Mt.Everest of homework.
9. Realize that problems do not usually take care of themselves. Contact the teacher early if you see a problem beginning. You know your son or daughter better that the teacher does.
10. Pray for your child. Pray that God will protect him/her from worldly influences. (Yes, even in a Christian school.) Pray for God’s will in the area of college, work and future spouse. Pray that your child will take a stand for Christ and not be willing to compromise the biblical values that you have worked so hard to instill in him.
* The pronouns “he” and “his” are used to denote any student. It is not meant to imply a preference in gender. The use of he/she is cumbersome to read.
Don Netz
Principal