Education and money…
I just got back from picking up my son from school. I had to write this as soon as I got in. I was speaking with one of the other mothers whose child is in the same first grade level. She was telling me how stressed she was as a result of she’s been running all over the place while driving her child to extra curricular activities.
Well, children really don’t need all that after school activity. We should let them go at their own pace and have lots of down time to re-coop from the day’s events. This helps bring a sense of balance and calmness to a child. I find that most of these activities are brought on by the parents themselves, and most times, the kids aren’t really that happy to participate…not to mention all the money one has to shell out.
Anyway, back to my main point. She spends around 50.00 a week to have her child tutored. That’s the problem these days. We put our children in expensive private schools and somehow think they’ll end up learning more. Some people even go as far as military schools for young ones and even boarding schools. These parents seem to want to get rid of their children, or are not willing to take a little time and help their children themselves. Before there were schools, parents taught at home and soon special study programs were being offered through the mail. Home schooling came long before public schools.
One of the ways this woman could cut cost and have a little extra time is to simply get rid of some of the after school activities, thereby, allowing her a bit more time to spend tutoring her child herself…not to mention she’d save herself over 200.00 dollars a month!
We really need to bring education to a simple and frugal level. It’s gotten very commercialized from baby Einstein to special pre schools that offer special accelerated educational programs. I’ve even read about some pre schools in the Los Angeles area that interview your baby before they’re ACCEPTED…and then they end up costing you an arm and a leg anyway. It’s become a status symbol and parents somehow feel on top expressing to other parents that their child attends a certain school. Whatever happened to basic reading and writing? We as parents are certainly able to help with at least the primary grades. There’s a ton of help out there from the internet, to your local library, on guidelines for helping your child. Believe me, I know, I do it myself, each and everyday.
I know there are exceptions and there are times your child will need specialized care you are unable to provide, but if you are able to do it, you’ll not only save money but be rewarded time and time again. There is no one better than you to teach or tutor your child, and it will be something he or she will remember for the rest of their lives. You’re also setting up an important and valuable pattern of self- sufficiency and smart, simple, frugal alternatives for future generations to come.
Here are some ways to help your child succeed no matter what school they attend. Remember, education does begin at home and the tools and guidelines can be both simple and money saving. If you are interested in home schooling your child, your local county should offer FREE home school courses based on public schools county curriculum.
1) Involve yourself with your child’s school and teachers. Keep up with special events and volunteer whenever possible. I volunteer quite a bit, as it requires no money out of pocket. Most times, the volunteer parents are much more appreciated than the ones who flash the cash and don’t really care. Your child will also develop a more positive attitude towards learning in school. They come to realize how hard you’ve worked with them and learn to appreciate and value learning. I love when my Son looks into my eyes, and with very loving eyes of his own, smiles and says ”thank you mommy, for helping me…you’re the best teacher and I love you so much.” That’s all the reward I need right there.
2) Keep a printed out copy of the grade’s expectations throughout the whole year. I got an expectation sheet from Scholastic and printed it out. I keep it nearby when we work together at the table. From time to time I review certain sections that might be forgotten. Don’t teach subjects ahead of time as this might cause the child to become bored and feel out of place. Unless your child has been tested for Gifted, for example (as my daughter was and ended up being Gifted), just go with the flow.
3) Print out next year’s expectations and do some summer fun work.
4) Sit daily with your little one and help him or her with homework. Use the homework itself as a learning tool. Make sure they truly comprehend the lesson and review it on other days if necessary.
5) Try being creative at home and come up with some educational fun things to do such as, cooking, and baking. These are excellent tools for encouraging science and mathematics.
6) Work with them on the fundamentals such as making their bed or helping with the yard work. You can’t really learn life lessons and responsibilities at school.
7) Create a social base for your child. Manners and good choices really do begin at home. Have a family board game night and reduce television time or even non- educational computer and or video games and go for a walk to talk about the events of the day. Have a special dinner night that introduces foods from different countries and discuss its people and cultures. Help the child see how very connected he or she is with the planet. This is a great social studies lesson time and most of these fun activities will not be taken has having to learn something.
8) Keep important papers such as upcoming tests, sight words and reading or writing logs so your child’s reading abilities expand, their comprehension as well as writing skills. You have to remember that at every turn you are re-enforcing what academically they are learning in school. Children who were on the way to being held back from a certain grade have turned it around with these few easy steps. Find creative ways to enforce school learning…be an extension of the teacher so to speak.
9) Read every day with your child. Use weekends to review lessons learned and keep them fresh in their minds.
10) Try giving mini tests on subjects covered at school and always make sure they’re prepared for upcoming tests such as spelling words or even a math quiz.
11) Take advantage of your local library and its many programs offered for free. Sign up for free summer workshops for your child as well as yourself. Take advantage of local community centers. They will at times offer a yoga class, for example, at a much cheaper rate than a private owner would.
12) Go to the park and learn about the animals and plants in nature.
13) Go grocery shopping together and figure out a budget. Buy your kids a piggy bank or get an old shoe- box and encourage them to save and count their money monthly. That’s a great math lesson in itself.
14) Go to as many free workshops at their local school and take them along. For example, Literacy nite or Math nite. You’ll both learn tips on learning methods. It doesn’t hurt either to let the school notice your attendance and involvement.
15) And to round it all off, try taking your child with you when you volunteer with the poor or encourage them to make up a care basket for needy children. This will encourage empathy and acceptance of diversity – which is what we need more of in this world. Their teachers will notice the difference and they will be so proud of themselves and build up their self-esteem, which in turn, will push them to believe they can accomplish anything with a little hard work, a willingness and positive attitude towards themselves and others as well. And all of this is TOTALLY FREE!…so, don’t feel you need the latest most expensive learning tools or gadgets, if you really want to help your child, you can do it in a frugal and simple way.
Later-g