Sometimes parents need to encourage their children to be assertive learners. Here's a note that you can adapt to your situation and include in a newsletter:
Kelly, my seventeen year old daughter, was taking calculus at Westview High School. When she got stuck at a place in her homework, her daddy, who only got as far as algebra II, was unable to help her much. Sweetly, Kelly would tell me, “It’s OK, Daddy.”
This is a situation that you may have run across already with your child. What’s a parent to do?
Kelly found a solution for her situation. She asks the teacher to explain things until she’s pretty sure she understands. When she does homework, she makes notes about problems she doesn’t understand and brings her questions up to her teacher.
I am grateful that her teachers will take time to explain things to a student whose parents are eager but unable to help. I want to be that kind of teacher for my students.
You can encourage your child to ask me repeatedly until she understands. I promise to think about my daughter and be patient with your child.
If your little Kelly is content to leave school with a vague understanding of a concept, she will be dependent upon her parents for clarification. This may hurt when your child hits harder classes. This is a good year for your child to learn to ask questions and expect to understand the material.
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