Tag Archives: children

To Teach is to Touch a Life Forever

parenting, Raising kids

Train up a child…

 

“To Teach is to Touch a Life Forever”

 

How we all depend on our teachers! The bumper sticker that says, “Teaching is the profession that makes all other professions possible” is certainly true. As school starts, every parent of a student is probably wondering, “Will my child have a good teacher?”

What most people don’t stop and think about is the fact that parents are teachers, too! From the time that first cry is heard at birth, parents become teachers whether they want to be or not. It is not a question of whether a parent is a teacher. Rather it is a question as to the kind of teacher that parent is.

There are those parent-teachers who simply cannot face the responsibility and choose to abandon their God-given gift and opportunity to touch a life in a positive way forever. Some parent-teachers blindly jump in and meander through their new responsibility hoping all will turn out well. There are parent-teachers who try to shove their responsibilities to someone else. Many children are now being raised by grandparents instead of parents. But blest are the parent-teachers who do all they can to become better teachers, so they do not leave matters to chance or to someone else. They take advantage of training available. They see that their children get a variety of experiences. They read about rearing children. In short, they work hard to be good teachers of the children they brought into the world.

Missouri started a program called Parents as Teachers that has become popular nationwide. Parents may work in the program to get training that will help both the children and themselves. Services provided by Parents as Teachers (PAT) include personal visits, parent group meetings, screenings, and networking with other agencies. The personal visits may be waived if some do not feel comfortable having someone visit the home. The screenings assess the child’s overall development as well as checking hearing and vision. Parent meetings are held one time each month. PAT works with women who are pregnant until the child reaches age 5. Studies show that children involved in this program have greatly benefited. Information about the PAT program may usually be obtained by contacting the local school.

“As the twig is bent, so grows the tree”. In the first few years of a child’s life, children learn more and at a faster pace than any other time. As a parent, you are your child’s first and foremost teacher. Parents are the ones who most touch the lives of their children forever.

 

 

Time to Step up to the Plate, Dad!

Raising kids, , ,

Train up a child…

 

Time to Step up to the Plate, Dad!

 

Mother’s Day is almost here! Now it wouldn’t be proper for Mom to remind the kids to give her a present. Moms have to depend on Dad to do this. It’s Dad’s place to work with the children and not only remind them that they need to do something to show appreciation for Mom, but help them to truly appreciate her.

If you wait until the last minute, you won’t have time to get the children to put real thought into what their mother really does for them. You need to talk to them and ask them to tell you all the things they can think of that their mother does for them and others. You need to discuss their mother’s likes and dislikes, so they will know what would please her. This time of year may be your best opportunity to instill an appreciation in the children for their mother.

Help the children understand that the gift needs to be from them. Chances are they may try to con you into giving them money so they can quickly go buy something. The truth is, in such a case, the gift is not from them but from you. It is better that the children consider their own resources and come up with something. Mothers appreciate gifts from the heart.

What mother does not feel like a queen when dad and the kids come bringing her breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day? Sure, the toast may be burned and the kitchen a mess, but it is the thought that counts. Of course, it is even better if she finds the kitchen clean and the toast is not burned! The most memorable gifts are those where time and effort have been combined with thoughtfulness in their creation.

I remember a Mother’s Day when our youngest son could hardly wait to give me his gift. He was so excited that I could tell he wanted me to push him to give it to me early. He had made a gumball machine in his shop class by using a pint jar turned upside down on a board with a hole drilled in it. The gumball would drop in the hole and another board could be pulled out yielding a gumball.

One Mother’s Day my husband called me to the kitchen where three of our four children were gathered. One by one, each gave me a gift personally chosen. This was in the 70’s when the fruit odors became popular. I received a bottle in the shape of an apple with green apple cologne inside. One of the children gave me some watermelon flavored bubble bath. The third child gave me some peach bath powder. I looked around for the fourth child. Finally, he came in the door from outside holding a used paper cup with a rose in it. He had been out picking a rose for me! He had not heeded his dad’s advice and had waited until the last minute.

Even if Mom goes to church smelling like a fruit basket like I did that morning, she will cherish the fact that the children made an effort to show their love and appreciation for her. Dad, help your children to do just that! Then, in a month, it is Mom’s turn to do the same for you!

An Easy Way to Help Your Child Improve Reading Ability

Uncategorized, , ,

Train up a child..

An Easy Way to Help Your Child Improve Reading Ability

Most parents want to feel proud of their children for doing well in school. Reading is basic to all other school subjects, so, naturally, one of the best ways to help your child in all schoolwork is to help him/her improve reading ability. In the case of reading, there is almost a “magic bullet” to help. That “magic bullet” is simply to have your child do a lot of reading.
Any time a skill is learned, practice is necessary. Reading is a skill. The old saying, “Practice makes perfect”, certainly applies to the reading skill. It follows that if a child likes what he/she is reading, that child is more apt to want to read more. How do we know what books to have a child read? There is a guideline, and the child can help determine this for self. As the child reads, have the child hold up a finger for each word that is unknown. If no fingers are held up, the book is easy and the child will enjoy it more. If three to five words are missed, the book may be too difficult and the child will not enjoy reading it.
Requiring a child to read at least twenty minutes each day will pay off tremendously. If a child reads twenty minutes each day for five days each week, that child will have read the equivalent of ten school days in one year. If a child reads only four minutes a day, at the end of the year he would have read the equivalent of four school days. By the time these two students reach 6th grade, the child who read twenty minutes each day would have read the equivalent of sixty school days and the other child would have read the equivalent of twelve days. The gap of information retained by the two students is very wide. How do you think the student who did little reading will feel about him/herself? Which student will feel better about him/herself? Which student will read better? Which student will know more? Which student will write better? Which student will have a better vocabulary? Which student will be more successful in life?
Having your child read twenty minutes at home each day of the week is easy. Simply have an understanding that a time will be set aside for this,and set the timer on the stove or have a special timer for the child. What about the child who keeps jumping up and doesn’t stay focused? Simply reset the timer for twenty minutes each time the child stops reading. That child will soon learn that it pays to stay quiet and get it done in twenty minutes or he/she will be reading for a long time. Of course, it is great if the child gets so interested in the reading material that the desire is there to continue reading!
What an easy thing to do to ensure that a child learn to read well. Parents and child will each feel good about school performance!