INTELLIGENCE is not enough for a child to do well at school.
Children need love and parental support as well.
Pretty Sithole (59) from Klipspruit in Soweto agrees with this statement. She said her granddaughter, Thembelihle (18), is where she is today because of her support.
“I wanted her to study, not do household duties after school and on weekends.”
Thembelihle is now a first year engineering student at Wits.
“She has always worked hard at school, won awards and got high marks in all subjects she was doing.”
Gogo encourages other parents to do the same for their children.
“Be there for your child and give the support they need to pass at the end of the year.
“We are a poor family but today my grandchild is studying at varsity.”
Even though she got a bursary Pretty still looking for more funds to help Thembelihle study.
Cindy Glass, director and co-founder of Step Up Education Centres, said being a parent is a tough job.
“Children are born with a built-in need to learn. Parents are the first teachers that educate children in the world.”
She said education started on the day the child was born all the way into adulthood.
How to teach your child
- Be an example of positive, productive learning and positive behavioural choices.
Your children are likely to copy what you do and are much less likely to do what you say.
- Be interested in what happens to your child at school every day.
Find out how her or his day went, what was the best and worst event that happened that day.
Who are your child’s friends that he/she hangs out with and talks to at school and after school?
- Be excited about ANY positive news or progress, whether it is academic or social.
Your children seek your acknowledgement, support and advice to find purpose in life.
- Teach your children about determination, courage, ethics, discipline, responsibility and motivation by practising these qualities yourself.
- Let errors happen. Mistakes and failures are lessons that teach us about skill and confidence. Teach children to embrace them.
