Teach English in Zhentou Zhen - Changsha Shi

Parental involvement in every sphere of life has played significant roles in the successful life activities of people, children especially. These roles are not only limited to home but constant involvement in educational activities too. Recent developments in education have heightened the need for parental involvement in that area of children’s development. Consequently, in recent decades, parental involvement in education has been one of the major interesting topics for research and discussion, with a growing body of literature confirming the critical roles parents play in helping both teachers and students succeed academically. Parental involvement in educational systems is fundamental – not supplemental - in ensuring children’s healthy intellectual, physical and social-emotional development, and hence, preparing children for school, and supporting their academic achievement is paramount in their educational journey. The family, for that matter parents, have a huge and challenging task to shoulder which include among other things, taking proper care of the child’s health needs, the overall physical development, enhancing their educational trajectory, focusing on their intellectual affinities as well as ensuring better moral values and attitudes, and well behaved cultural relations in the family and the society at large. Interestingly, it is maintained that when the school, the family and the community groups work together to support education, children tend to do better in school, stay longer in school and develop a greater affection for school. Parents are regarded as one of the direct holders of educational work of children. This is clearly portrayed in the strong interaction of factors responsible for academic success; the child, the parent and the school community. This interaction is repetitively being identified as a reciprocal inspiration and process moving from the parent to the child and the other way round, which as such elicits numerous factors that impact, both positively and negatively, the development and educational prospects of children. For instance, parents take pivotal stance in their children’s development and education as a whole, with particular interest in the child’s overall physical and intellectual development taken care of by the parents till the child is matured enough and independent to face such challenges in life. This states to mean that, parents are both the leading and supporting implementers of the education of their children. Financial commitment, demonstration of mutual confidentiality, assisting with assignments, strong and permanent parental control, special focus on psychological development among others are some key leading strategies and roles employed and undertaken respectively, by parents leading to a successful educational journey of children. It is an undeniable fact that parents are the principal educators of their children before the commencement of their formal education, and remain to serve as a constant element throughout their educational life. Interestingly, parents alongside teachers have been noted and highly recognized as the two main educators in the lives of children. It has been suggested and conclusively shown that parents are their children’s strongest and greatest influence and role models. Therefore, a positive influence and lifestyle illustrated by parents, most importantly in the child’s educational life, promotes a more beautiful and successful future. The function of the parent as an educator is therefore viewed as a significant resource to the development of the individual identity. Moreover, the parent has a very important role to play, which as such can be divided into two; the child’s defense and overall development. Physical protection, such as provision of healthcare and hygienic conditions, a healthy and warm home environment enlightens a healthy place that offers the child the surest security and safety to educational development. The psychological protection often reflected in the child’s emotional security in this regard further exemplifies the significant roles parents play in the intellectual development of children. Furthermore, in the circumstances of safety and organization of a nice and appropriately functional development of a household, the child is the sole beneficiary, and these are, again, some roles outlined by parents in the educational journey of children. Parents make a powerful difference in defining expectation and challenging children to do their utmost best on the educational ladder. Principally, instructions on how to study based on rules and principles of an appropriate learning and studying are mostly handed down by parents to their children since they have enormous experience in such regard. The parent as an educator has other experiences in the area of their child’s interest, temperament and emotional individualities regarding the child’s character. Socialization in general can be looked at as another area where the parent plays pivotal roles in the educational and intellectual building of children, hence outlining the significant roles parents play in education. From the foregoing, it can be deduced and concluded that the parent plays numerous significant roles in education. Instances and references can be made to their financial commitment, leading and supportive roles in the implementation of educational policies, firsthand information holders of the child’s interest and character as well as provision of a sound and stable home environment for the total development of their children. This is consistent with the fact that, depending on the economic stands and social wellbeing as well as the emotional limitations, in recent times, the roles of parents in education have opened up to a variety of opportunities with the potential of ensuring a wholistic development of children. However, interestingly, frequent derailments and challenges such as single parenting, unemployment, high cost of living due to economic mismanagement and forced marriage resulting in under-aged motherhood has belittled the roles parents play in education.