When Teachers Can’t Teach – And What You Need To Do About It.

Sometimes, no matter how good the teacher, it is impossible to teach a child.  And it is not the teacher’s fault!

I was listening to an experienced and well respected High School teacher recently as she explained the difficulties she had with some of the students in her classes.  This was a teacher who did everything she could to help her students succeed.  But she told me that there was one type of student that she could not help, one type of student that as never going to benefit from her skills and expertise- the student who was not motivated to learn.

Teachers can do a lot to motivate students.  They can make the courses interesting and lively, give praise when it is deserved, help students who are struggling to learn.  But this is not enough.  Whatever the teacher does has very little impact in comparison to what parents need to do.

The biggest factor in your child’s school success is your expectations.  Time and time again when researchers are looking for the magic key, the one thing that separates students who succeed and those that don’t, they come back to parental expectations.

It is your expectations of your child that determine whether he or she will be a successful student.  It is your expectations that support your child’s motivation to learn.

If you do not expect your child to do well in school and therefore do not give your child the support he or she needs to meet those expectations your child will fail.  Teachers are not miracle workers (well, not always).  They cannot be expected to take your place, to impose their expectations over yours.  You cannot expect your child to think that what the teacher expects is more important than what you expect.

If you expect nothing you will get nothing – and there is very little any teacher, no matter how skilled and dedicated, can do to change the situation.

So, what should your expectations be?

Here is my list of expectations- you could probably add more.

1.  Expect your child to do their best at all times

2. Expect your child’s teacher to do their best to help your child learn

3. Expect to support the work the teacher does in any way you can

4. Expect the teacher to support you in helping your child learn

5.  Respect your child’s work, the teacher’s work, and the ethics of the school

If you are not prepared to meet these expectations, be prepared for your child to fail.  And it won’t be the teacher’s fault!