It is widely known that parent involvement is a key factor in student achievement. There are many aspects that contribute to this correlation: help with homework and studies, organizational skills, preparedness for school, self esteem, and student emotions. Today I am going to talk about one particular factor: student motivation. I believe that students are more likely to be motivated to do well in school when their parents are involved in their school life. I believe this because growing up I saw first-hand the impact that parent involvement had on my brother’s life and I see it currently in the lives of my students.
Motivation is connected to student engagement which is another huge factor of student success. I read recently that students have the ultimate choice in how they are going to participate in school. When parents are involved in their child's school life, that student is much more likely to choose to engage in their school work. Additionally, when parents are interested and involved in their child's academics it sends the message to their child that school is worthwhile, important, and should be taken seriously. In my classroom I make it known to students and families that teachers and parents are a team and must work together to support their students. When students know that their parents and teachers are communicating it gives that student extra incentive to work hard and do their best.
When I was growing up, my older brother had a really hard time in school. He was the youngest in his class, he had a severe case of ADD, he felt like every teacher disliked him, and school work did not come naturally for him. If my mom had not been constantly communicating with his teachers, helping him with his homework and making sure he had his assignments in his backpack, he may not have made it through. Knowing that my mom was there to help him and hold him accountable pushed him to keep trying. Later, in high school, Alec still had to work super hard in school and decided it wasn't for him and that he didn't want to go to college. He knew that neither of my parents went to college and they were "doing well in life" so why should he have to? With the support of my parents and teachers, my brother not only realized the importance of going to college, but he boosted his GPA enough to get into a 4 year university and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree four years later. Without the support and involvement of my parents to keep him motivated, my brother probably would have dropped out of high school and never would have earned a college degree. He is just one example of how parent involvement can be life changing.
In my current classroom I also see a difference in motivation between my students whose parents are highly involved and those who aren't. I remember last year when I asked a student why they did not turn in their project they told me "only my tutor and my babysitter do homework with me and they didn't know about the project". I remember feeling so sad for that child. They knew their parent was never going to see the project, let alone help them with it, so they had this "skate by" mentality. I frequently send letters home to the parents of my students encouraging them to “check out” their child’s latest project, writing piece, or test grade. This is a source of motivation, pride and sense of accomplishment for many of my students.
Motivation is connected to student engagement which is another huge factor of student success. I read recently that students have the ultimate choice in how they are going to participate in school. When parents are involved in their child's school life, that student is much more likely to choose to engage in their school work. Additionally, when parents are interested and involved in their child's academics it sends the message to their child that school is worthwhile, important, and should be taken seriously. In my classroom I make it known to students and families that teachers and parents are a team and must work together to support their students. When students know that their parents and teachers are communicating it gives that student extra incentive to work hard and do their best.
When I was growing up, my older brother had a really hard time in school. He was the youngest in his class, he had a severe case of ADD, he felt like every teacher disliked him, and school work did not come naturally for him. If my mom had not been constantly communicating with his teachers, helping him with his homework and making sure he had his assignments in his backpack, he may not have made it through. Knowing that my mom was there to help him and hold him accountable pushed him to keep trying. Later, in high school, Alec still had to work super hard in school and decided it wasn't for him and that he didn't want to go to college. He knew that neither of my parents went to college and they were "doing well in life" so why should he have to? With the support of my parents and teachers, my brother not only realized the importance of going to college, but he boosted his GPA enough to get into a 4 year university and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree four years later. Without the support and involvement of my parents to keep him motivated, my brother probably would have dropped out of high school and never would have earned a college degree. He is just one example of how parent involvement can be life changing.
In my current classroom I also see a difference in motivation between my students whose parents are highly involved and those who aren't. I remember last year when I asked a student why they did not turn in their project they told me "only my tutor and my babysitter do homework with me and they didn't know about the project". I remember feeling so sad for that child. They knew their parent was never going to see the project, let alone help them with it, so they had this "skate by" mentality. I frequently send letters home to the parents of my students encouraging them to “check out” their child’s latest project, writing piece, or test grade. This is a source of motivation, pride and sense of accomplishment for many of my students.