By Arthur Isaacs

In this complex world we are living in, it takes more than a good school to educate children; it also takes the hard work of parents being involved in their children’s life. Extensive research has been done over the years and studies indicate that children whose parents are involved in their school life tend to do much better in their educational development.

We look at the ever so grim reality that unless parents become actively involved in their children’s life, then our social problems will continue to grow and eventually destroy us. We have significant responsibilities for what happens to us as a people.

Teachers can only try their best to guide and direct us to the desired levels of our social behaviors for the few hours we have with them each day.

But what happens after school?

Do you know?

Parents, what do you teach them at home?

What consequences are there for displaying unaccep-table behaviors?

Are there specific rules that you set?

How much support is given to the teachers, the school and most importantly your child?

Have you ever heard the saying, “The home is the first and most important school your child will ever have?”

You may have heard this before, perhaps as part of a sales pitch for encyclopedias. However, it is much more than that. The family is a solid rock; the greatest foundation which an unyielding education can be built on. We look around and see countless examples where the nuclear family, single parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts provide strong family support for children to learn.

The love of learning can make a world of difference to children. Yet parental involvement is one of the most overlooked aspects of education today. The fact is that many parents don’t realise how important it is to get involved in their children’s learning. Parents should make an effort and find the time to help their child get better grades and graduate with the best possible chance of going to college.

No family is exempt from the challenge of raising motivated and educated kids as they will later lead our country, become the next scientists, doctors, and nurses and eventually shape the future. So it will never matter how much money you have, how much formal education you had or how well you did in school; what matters now is your child and how you as parents can become actively involved in his/her education.