Notes
This episode pairs well with our 2021 Research Release.
Summary
What is the family’s role in education? Glynis Neves, parent and educator since 1992, joins hosts David and Linda to answer this question. They discuss how parents might be unintentionally hindering their children’s progress at school (10:43), how to overcome the education gap created by Covid-19 (20:47), and how education has changed in the last 30 years (30:45).
Glynis believes that there is no “one size fits all” in education (15:57), and one of the best things a parent can do is to be proactive in finding a teacher that’s the right fit for their child. Once they do that, step back and let the teacher teach. “If your child fails an assignment, that’s okay. Failing right now is the best learning experience for a child. But if a parent doesn’t ever let their child experience that failure, they never learn how to deal with it and progress onward.”
As we help children move forward from the time lost during the pandemic, we need to understand the difference between sympathy and empathy (26:30). “Listen to your child. When they come home from school and they are frustrated, listen. Be empathetic, not sympathetic. After the empathy comes the hard work. If nothing else, this year has taught us that parents are that missing piece in the educational equation. Unless the parents are at home reinforcing that these are good skills to have, that child is not going to care.”