Home And School Education - Your Kids Can Benefit From Both!

Once, as a Learning Support Teacher, I made my way down to the annexe that housed the school's History Department.

The annexe was about 100 metres from the main school building, down an attractive, leafy hill.

On the way I was irked by two girls in front of me complaining about the hill, the wind ruffling their hair, the distance from one classroom to another, and so on.

I joined the History class with the moans and groans still ringing in my ears. However, the topic of the lesson soon gripped me:

Life in Thirteenth Century Scotland.

The ordinary people in those days lived in squalid huts, unlike the nobles with their heavily fortified castles. But even they faced many challenges. Fighting was a way of life and the fear of attack preoccupied everyone.

In the cold, draughty, disease-ridden castles people who lived to forty were considered old.

Not much scope for personal development and parenting projects there!

Bumpy dirt tracks served as roads and the trees that covered most of the land made travel difficult. Schools and child education did not exist.

After the lesson I made my way back up to the main building. This time I overheard another conversation - or to be more precise, one side of a conversation.

A girl behind me chatted to her mum, many miles away on the outskirts of the city. The small cellphone clamped to the girl's ear made it possible.

Times had certainly changed since the 13th century!

Not only could this girl travel many miles by comfortable transport every day, but at the touch of a button she could chat with her mum.

This made me think again of the two I'd overheard on the way down. Unlike their 13th century counterparts, they could walk safely on a dry, tarmac surface and enjoy the benefits of a good education. Yet they moaned and groaned . . .

Yes, teaching - and parenting - teenagers brings its challenges!

But if raising confident children is our goal, why not start early, and help them develop a sense of awe and wonder. Help them realise how far we've progressed.

Stress the benefits growing families enjoy today - benefits unavailable to our predecessors, for whom life was hell.

Make your kids aware of the changes even since they were infants:

iPods, mp3s, DVDs, multiplex cinemas, online bookings, video cellphones - when you think about it, the list is impressive!

And the downside: in a world saturated with resources and abundance, millions starve. Yet all could be put right so easily!

Your children are young and impressionable, so true-life stories will absorb their insatiable interest. Make this part of your home education program, working hand-in-hand with their special school projects.

And it will pay dividends. Informed, appreciative children become confident, tolerant, fair-minded and determined young people.

Personal development all round . . .

Happy parenting!

Why do some parents and children succeed, while others fail? Frank McGinty is an internationally published author and teacher. If you want to develop your parenting skills and encourage your kids to be all they can be, visit his web pages, http://www.frank-mcginty.com/peace-formula.ht ml AND http://www.frank-mcginty.com/for-parents.html

In The News:

---

Potty Dolls to Accelerate Potty Training Success

Sometime the most effective training tool in rapidly accelerating the... Read More

Monitoring Your Teens for Drug Use Without Appearing to be Spying

Even if your teenagers do not use drugs, you still... Read More

6 Great Freebie Resources for Parents of Twins & Multiple Births

A sure way to double the joys of parenthood is... Read More

Honey I Can?t Afford The Kids

Sex has a lot to answer for ? babies usually... Read More

Exams Cause Stress For Parents Too

When it comes to exams, or indeed any academic work,... Read More

Alias: Aptitude

Be aware. You may become totally overwhelmed when you get... Read More

How Effective is Attend in Helping Children with Attention Disorders?

In 1996-97 we were contracted by VAXA International of Tampa,... Read More

Cloning; is it for you?

What would it be like to have a clone? What... Read More

Parents --- Your Childrens Report Card May Be Rigged

Under the "No Child Left Behind Act," public schools whose... Read More

Successful Treatment Planning for Attention Deficit Disorder - ADD ADHD

O.K. So now you have taken the step of having... Read More

Parenting Your Teenager: 4 Dangerous Myths

MYTH: All teens have to rebel, and the teen years... Read More

The Personality of a Virgo Child

Your Virgo Baby..August 23 - September 22Virgo children are honest... Read More

Life Lessons Learned in My Underwear

For several years now, I've told the following story as... Read More

Choosing Wooden Toys For Children

Wooden toys are one of the best alternatives for the... Read More

?Gimme? Proof Your Kids: How To Keep Your Child?s Materialism In Check

It's the first day of the summer holiday. Five year-old... Read More

10 Steps To Prepare You For Life With Children

It's hard to explain to the uninitiated the changes that... Read More

Public Schools Can Waste 12 Years of Your Child?s Life

For over fifty years, public-school officials and politicians have tried... Read More

Building Teen Character: Part-Time Employment

The teenage years are a crucial time in a child's... Read More

Playground Pettiness

Recently I took my two children to a popular new... Read More

End Babysitter Abuse

Not many things are more upsetting than discovering that your... Read More

Homeschooling ? Is It Worth It?

Suppose that you rearrange your life to homeschool your child... Read More

How To Live With Your Teenagers Untidy Room

'Whose room is it anyway?'If you have a teenager, you're... Read More

Develop Your Childs Genius - Developing Leadership Qualities

Often I have heard that leaders are born, not made.... Read More

The POWER of Reading

Reading to your child at a young age is one... Read More

Late Night Adventures with Your Children

Vacations are fun ! Weekends with the family are nice.... Read More

5 Simple Steps Guaranteed To Allow You To Spend More Time With Your Children This Summer

Look around: Your kids are counting sleeps until the last... Read More

Parenting - Give Your Child The Tools To Build Strong Character And Values

There are many parenting styles. Yours may be very different... Read More

Clean Your House Green for your Children?s Sake

My thirteen-year-old daughter recently called me up to say she... Read More

Are You Meeting ALL Your Childs Basic Needs?

This may come as a surprise, but many parents are... Read More

The Most Innovative New Approach for ADHD, a Natural Remedy

What's new and effective in the treatment of Attention problems?... Read More

Nail Biting Basics

Nail biting in all its various forms is problematic... Read More

Ritalin (Methylphenidate) in the Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Ritalin is a good medication with a bad reputation. Its... Read More

Eco-Parenting

Arabella Greatorex, owner of The Natural Nursery, reports on the... Read More