ADVICE FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS
Educating Children Beyond the Classroom

Dear Parents and Teachers,

Thank you for choosing to teach or to offer your children English- you are making a very valuable choice- join in & use your awareness and it will be a powerful investment.

First let me tell you a story to reveal an insight:

A 5 year old child was at the annual fair and had a big decision to make. She has 5 dollars left to spend and was wondering whether to ride on the giant slide or to buy a brightly coloured tea set from the jumble sale. She thought about it for a while and then looking from the pretty teacups towards the excited kids whizzing down the tall yellow slide. She hesitated for a moment, then picked up the tea set.

`I think I`ll buy the teaset`, she said at last. `It will last forever and the ride will be over in seconds. Yes`, she said confidently, `I think I`ve made the right choice for me`.

As adults, we often smile at children when we see how they play games or make decisions and think` how cute`. But life is a game about making intelligent choices at every moment; ranging from seemingly insignificant decisions we make every day to more serious choices that often set the direction our lives will take. Many of the choices we make can mean the difference between contentment and misery, security and uncertainty, inner peace and turmoil, even life and death. If we can help our children learn to make wise decisions and good choices now, however simple those choices may seem, they will be better equipped to handle the serious physical, emotional and spiritual choices they will face through their lives.

These choices extend beyond education and their English studies, to how they choose their friends, develop relationships and pursue their schooling and future career options.

Solid foundations

Some of the ways in which parents and teachers can build the foundations for our childrens` good decision making skills include:

Simply respecting a child`s vision because a young child`s mind especially, is so foreign to an adults`, and we have so much to learn from them spiritually.

Establishing boundaries and encouraging accountability. Boundaries are about the owner being responsible for what happens to him or herself; and telling a child, it wasn`t your fault`, when they have done something wrong sends them the wrong message.

Encouraging responsible behaviour. When a child does something irresponsible, parents need to consider what negative consequence should aris efrom that behaviour.

Aiding self-esteem. Building a stronger self image in your child by giving plenty of praise and affection, even if it`s rejected, and by responding to your child`s successes and failures in a positive manner.

Developing stronger and deeper social and communication skills in your children by spending more time with them. Children cannot learn relationship skills through computer games, television or by themselves. Thus, following English studies with your neighbors can be an especially rewarding way to share your family and friendship.

Getting to know your child`s friends and their parents or teachers as well.

Be a gentle but active guide in their studies. Please take an active interest in their studies by reviewing and checking that they have understood what is being taught in class. This will also help them to see that English is a real, living language- not just a stuffy school subject, but something fun and to be used at any occasion.

How can you do this?

Simply by reading storybooks to them, purchasing English CD roms or helping them with homework. They are learning daily English expressions and vocabulary which you will find easy to use too, so practise English at the dinner-table! Express yourselves.

If you don`t use it, you will lose it! This is true of anything- not only English!.

Lets equip our children with the skills, ability and awareness to be able to think through issues great and small and make the best choices in their lives.