This article was published by Scholastic.com.

As a parent, you are the major provider of your child’s education from birth through adolescence. You guide the development of her character and mental health and help form the foundation from which she’ll develop lifelong attitudes and interests. And because your home is the primary environment in which your child’s potential and personality will take shape, it’s important to make sure that you create a positive, open atmosphere that will not only support what goes on in the classroom, but will also instill the desire to learn. It is through your love and encouragement that your kids will become motivated — first to please you, and then to please themselves. This leads to self-confidence, curiosity, the enjoyment of mastering new tasks, and other healthy attitudes, all of which contribute to successful learning.

But unless you are home-schooling, you will not be the one teaching your child science or geography. And while it’s true that all of the facts, skills, and concepts your children learn at school are influenced by what you do at home, your child’s education is equally impacted by the relationships you form with her teachers.

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