Ask A Teacher: How does my child stack up?

Dear Parents,

There are times in our lives that we need to compare and there are times when we shouldn’t. I have two wonderful children that are similar and very different and I love them for their unique qualities. We as parents spend a lot of time looking at other people’s children and comparing ours to theirs. I myself do this and then the voice in my head says “stop”. We need to embrace our children for who they are. I am a certified Regular and Special Education teacher and I have a son in Kindergarten this year. My goal for him is that he enjoys learning. I am not concerned that he isn’t the best in math, reading, spelling, or science. I only care about the fact that he rushes to get ready for school each day if Blue’s Clues isn’t on. We need to compare our child’s progress in terms of their achievements. I have seen the progress he has made in just a couple of weeks in school. We go to the library at least once a week to select books to read together. It amazes me that he is starting to read to us. It makes me so happy that we are raising a kind and confident person. We are teaching him to try his best and believe in himself. He was upset that some of his friends can read already. My husband and myself explained that  it does not matter if someone else can read already. He will soon learn as well because we will practice with him. We have shown him that he is special and his gifts are unique. I am just reminding you to honor your children and help them become better by enabling them to achieve through positive reinforcement, guided activities, and most importantly communication. The best tip I can give you for raising a successful student is help them to believe in themselves. This is done by teaching them to measure each little accomplishment and be proud of themselves.

Here is my theme song which I borrowed the lines from

GREATEST LOVE OF ALL

written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed

performed by Whitney Houston

I believe that children are our future

Teach them well and let them lead the way

Show them all the beauty they possess inside

Give them a sense of pride to make it easier

( I know that this is part of the song and the meaning of the song does not have anything to do with this but I love this verse)