The Parent’s Role to Keep Students Engaged in School

Keeping students engaged in school is a topic worth discussion and frankly there are many resources around for teachers and school leaders within the school context. However as a parent sometimes you might question how your role plays in keeping your student engaged in school. This is because for parents, your role to keep your child engaged in school is much different than a teacher. Your role as a parent is much tougher because you need to be the best role model and positive leader in your child’s life outside of the classroom to influence and positively affect their behavior and engagement in school.

1. 
   Take interest in their learning. Talk to your child about their school day. Ask, simple questions like, “How did your day go?” And “What did you learn today?” Take time out of your night to sit down and do homework together. The fact of the matter is, if you take time and show interest in your child’s education, which positively affects and shows your child that they too can (and will) be invested in their own education, and therefore, they will stay engaged in school.
2. Talk about your child’s interests and their future. Do you know what your child wants to be/do when they grow up? What are their passions? By talking about your child’s future and what they are passionate about, you can tie it back into their learning in school and how important it is to do well and be engaged in their own learning. For example, if your child wants to be a video gamer when they grow up, talk to them about how they need to learn how to multi-task, communicate with others and problem solve (all skills you learn while being engaged in school).
3. Incorporate learning into your everyday normal. Learning takes place everywhere – not just in your child’s school building. So take opportunities in your everyday life, like grocery shopping to incorporate the skill and passion for learning. For example, make a game out of having your child add up prices of the items in the cart before you check out! By encouraging learning outside of school, will help your child fall in love with learning and help keep them engaged in school.
4. Talk to your child about what you love to learn about. You are their #1 role model, so by having open and honest conversations with your child about what you like to learn about, can help your child feel confident in learning things too! You might even find that you have similar interests in what you like to learn about. For example, you both might be interested in learning how highways and streets are organized. Now you can talk about it, ask each other questions and look up the answers together!

So again, your role to keep your child engaged in school is different than anyone else and honestly, a tough task to endure. You are responsible for encouraging learning throughout every day life and reminding your child how important it is to be engaged in school. So through your actions and how you show your love of learning, will encourage your child to love learning too and in turn, be engaged in school!