Remember the wall chart that helps you see if your child has grown an inch or so? Academic growth shows progress being made in a similar way. Sometimes there is more growth than other times because each of us grows in unique ways. We celebrate growth along the way, and we look forward to what is yet to come.

 

Students are learning along a continuum and developing new skills, advancing in stages. It's critical that we have faith in who they are becoming, and practice that faith over fear. Our kids read us when we are worried, sad or angry and they believe they are the cause of our emotions. They will assume they did something "wrong" that "made us upset." Kids are wired to please us and they take it hard if they believe they have disappointed you.

 

Disappoint comes from unmet expectations, so reflect on what you're expecting from your kids and their education. Do you expect growth or perfection? Do you expect to learn more about your child, or do you have a prescribed formula they are to fit? Do you expect to enjoy the journey of learning with them, or do you measure them against certain standards or how others are performing? Do you expect to discover who they are becoming, or have you already defined who they should be?

 

I ask you to take some time to prepare yourself for how to help your child be successful in school. You have already provided the resources like school tuition and supplies, and you make sacrifices to get them to school and their activities, to make lunches and snacks, to help them with their homework. Now take some time to check your expectations so that you can invest faith in how they're growing. They need your faith in them more than anything. That faith will help them flourish, and find what they need within themselves to give their best and reach for better. What a gift that will last a lifetime!

Thank you,