NEiTA (National Excellence in Teaching Awards) and the Australian Scholarships Group (ASG) have today released a new guide for parents to help them support teachers’ work educating their children, entitled Parent-Teacher Partnerships: Teachers reveal six rules for parents to help their children get the most out of school.
“Education doesn’t only happen in the classroom” is the message of the guide that calls on parents to accept greater responsibility in association with teachers and education institutions for their children’s education success. Teachers appeal to parents as their children’s first educators to partner with them in developing their children’s education potential rather than placing the burden solely on the shoulders of teachers.
The majority of teachers surveyed believed that in a world where teachers are already overloaded with extra curriculum areas and duties, they are increasingly being expected to take responsibility for teaching the things parents are not teaching their children.
The Parent-Teacher Partnerships guide provides valuable insights for parents into how they can contribute more effectively to their children’s education. Participating teachers offer insights into the roles parents need to play to help their children make the best of their abilities. The guide reveals that most of all, teachers want parents to work in partnership with them.
When asked to describe the parent-teacher partnership, three words that teachers used most were: essential, vital, and critical.
The guide was developed from an opinion survey conducted by NEiTA and ASG, which invited award-winning teachers through NEiTA’s teaching awards program – who teach across the areas from early childhood education through to secondary school – to have their say about how parents could better support their children’s classroom learning.
Chairman of the NEiTA teaching awards program, Mr Terry O’Connell said the survey had evoked a high level of intensity from the teachers who were invited to participate in the opinion survey.
“Parents, not just their children, are consumers of education. And as consumers, teachers encourage parents’ interaction and contribution to develop the service and the outcomes for students,” Mr O’Connell said.
All parents, and especially time-poor parents, will be relieved that teachers believe that when it comes to
helping children learn, parents don’t need to be an “Einstein” nor do they need to put hours aside coming to terms with maths and science homework. Rather, it can be as simple as taking an interest – reading, listening, getting involved. Even sending an email or making a quick phone call, or five minutes spent at drop-off or pickup can make all the difference.
The guide explores numerous tips and suggestions for parents that fall under six rules for parents to follow if they want to help their children get the most out of school.
The six rules are:
Rule 1: Prepare your child for school
“If schools keep performing parental roles, they absolve parents of these responsibilities.”
Rule 2: Share the responsibility for your child’s education
“Show children, in their individual lives, that education is valued and important.”
Rule 3: Partner with your child’s teacher
“…the children who do best at school are the ones who have parents (at home) and teachers
(at school) working closest together.”
Rule 4: Participate in your child’s school
“Acknowledgement of each parent’s participation – no matter how great or small – is paramount.”
Rule 5: Communication goes two ways
Teachers agree that parent-teacher interviews are the best means of communication, they should
happen more often and parents should be able to take special leave to attend them.
Rule 6: Support your child’s teacher and school
Even if you’re not in total agreement with the school’s policies, respect them…”as a teacher, it is very difficult to reason with a student who says, ‘My Mum says I don’t have to do that’”.
A selection of areas teachers believe parents should take responsibility for teaching their children
included:
- Importance of values and morals
- Respect – for teachers, the opinions of others, personal property, empathy for, and treatment of, fellow students
- Acceptable behaviour and good manners
- Personal hygiene
- Punctuality
- Acceptable mobile phone use
- Knowledge of healthy food choices
- The benefits of exercise
- Sexuality
- Drug education
- Personal safety issues, including water, road and energy safety
“Many elements combine to enable children to gain a quality education that provides them with a platform for their futures lives, not the least of which is the opportunity to experience their schooling with the full support of their teachers and parents,” Mr O’Connell said.
Parents can download the guide, Parent-Teacher Partnerships: Teachers reveal six rules for parents to help their children get the most out of school from NEiTA’s website: www.neita.com.au or from ASG’s website: www.asg.com.au Follow the links from the home pages.
About NEiTA:
NEiTA (National Excellence in Teaching Awards) was formed in 1994 to support the teaching profession and the important role it plays in shaping tomorrow’s youth. Now in its fifteenth year, NEiTA has given much deserved recognition to thousands of excellent and inspirational teachers across Australia and New Zealand.
Through its mission of promoting and encouraging excellence in teaching, NEiTA is helping to raise the profile of the teaching profession and inspire students to consider becoming a part of one of the most valuable resources Australia has, our education system. For further information, visit www.neita.com or contact NEiTA on free call 1800 624 487 or email neita@asg.com.au
About ASG:
ASG is Australia’s largest member-based organisation specialising in education benefit programs that assist parents in planning for their children’s education. ASG supports a range of community and education initiatives as part of its commitment to supporting children’s education. For more information about ASG and its activities, please visit www.asg.com.au or telephone 1800 648 945.
The majority of teachers surveyed believed that in a world where teachers are already overloaded with extra curriculum areas and duties, they are increasingly being expected to take responsibility for teaching the things parents are not teaching their children.
The Parent-Teacher Partnerships guide provides valuable insights for parents into how they can contribute more effectively to their children’s education. Participating teachers offer insights into the roles parents need to play to help their children make the best of their abilities. The guide reveals that most of all, teachers want parents to work in partnership with them.
When asked to describe the parent-teacher partnership, three words that teachers used most were: essential, vital, and critical.
The guide was developed from an opinion survey conducted by NEiTA and ASG, which invited award-winning teachers through NEiTA’s teaching awards program – who teach across the areas from early childhood education through to secondary school – to have their say about how parents could better support their children’s classroom learning.
Chairman of the NEiTA teaching awards program, Mr Terry O’Connell said the survey had evoked a high level of intensity from the teachers who were invited to participate in the opinion survey.
“Parents, not just their children, are consumers of education. And as consumers, teachers encourage parents’ interaction and contribution to develop the service and the outcomes for students,” Mr O’Connell said.
All parents, and especially time-poor parents, will be relieved that teachers believe that when it comes to
helping children learn, parents don’t need to be an “Einstein” nor do they need to put hours aside coming to terms with maths and science homework. Rather, it can be as simple as taking an interest – reading, listening, getting involved. Even sending an email or making a quick phone call, or five minutes spent at drop-off or pickup can make all the difference.
The guide explores numerous tips and suggestions for parents that fall under six rules for parents to follow if they want to help their children get the most out of school.
The six rules are:
Rule 1: Prepare your child for school
“If schools keep performing parental roles, they absolve parents of these responsibilities.”
Rule 2: Share the responsibility for your child’s education
“Show children, in their individual lives, that education is valued and important.”
Rule 3: Partner with your child’s teacher
“…the children who do best at school are the ones who have parents (at home) and teachers
(at school) working closest together.”
Rule 4: Participate in your child’s school
“Acknowledgement of each parent’s participation – no matter how great or small – is paramount.”
Rule 5: Communication goes two ways
Teachers agree that parent-teacher interviews are the best means of communication, they should
happen more often and parents should be able to take special leave to attend them.
Rule 6: Support your child’s teacher and school
Even if you’re not in total agreement with the school’s policies, respect them…”as a teacher, it is very difficult to reason with a student who says, ‘My Mum says I don’t have to do that’”.
A selection of areas teachers believe parents should take responsibility for teaching their children
included:
- Importance of values and morals
- Respect – for teachers, the opinions of others, personal property, empathy for, and treatment of, fellow students
- Acceptable behaviour and good manners
- Personal hygiene
- Punctuality
- Acceptable mobile phone use
- Knowledge of healthy food choices
- The benefits of exercise
- Sexuality
- Drug education
- Personal safety issues, including water, road and energy safety
“Many elements combine to enable children to gain a quality education that provides them with a platform for their futures lives, not the least of which is the opportunity to experience their schooling with the full support of their teachers and parents,” Mr O’Connell said.
Parents can download the guide, Parent-Teacher Partnerships: Teachers reveal six rules for parents to help their children get the most out of school from NEiTA’s website: www.neita.com.au or from ASG’s website: www.asg.com.au Follow the links from the home pages.
About NEiTA:
NEiTA (National Excellence in Teaching Awards) was formed in 1994 to support the teaching profession and the important role it plays in shaping tomorrow’s youth. Now in its fifteenth year, NEiTA has given much deserved recognition to thousands of excellent and inspirational teachers across Australia and New Zealand.
Through its mission of promoting and encouraging excellence in teaching, NEiTA is helping to raise the profile of the teaching profession and inspire students to consider becoming a part of one of the most valuable resources Australia has, our education system. For further information, visit www.neita.com or contact NEiTA on free call 1800 624 487 or email neita@asg.com.au
About ASG:
ASG is Australia’s largest member-based organisation specialising in education benefit programs that assist parents in planning for their children’s education. ASG supports a range of community and education initiatives as part of its commitment to supporting children’s education. For more information about ASG and its activities, please visit www.asg.com.au or telephone 1800 648 945.