Parent Involvement in our Program
We appreciate and respect the important roles that our parents play in the Tiger Rock program. Without a strong sense of parental involvement, we would fail to reach many of the goals that we set for their childrens' success.
When parents ask what their child can be doing better in class, or go the extra mile to get their daughter that additional class or two prior to testing, they are helping to play an active role as members of their child's (our student's) support team. Yes, we are very grateful to the many parents who do more than just pay their child's tuition, but who serve as advocates for everything that we do as mentors/role-models.
I asked Dr. Kristen Wynns, a Clinical Phsychologist from Wynns' Family Psycholgy for her thoughts on parental involvement as it relates to student success. This is what she had to say, "
"Parents are an essential ingredient in their child's success in school, sports, and other activities. It is often parents' enthusiasm, support, and cheering that motivates a child to try his or her very best. Parents are probably the most important influences on children’s lives and parents who are able to play a supportive role in their children’s learning and activities can make a huge difference to their achievement, behaviour and attitudes.Although parents are often needed for the logistical part of a child's activities (chauffeur, buying equipment, signing up for an activity), it is often the emotional and psychological support for the child that pushes a child to excel."
There are a few things that you can be doing as a parent of a Tiger Rock student in our program to help them achieve their potential:
First things first. Sit down and talk to your child about what their goals might be in the martial arts. As most children will automatically set the lofty goal of achieving their black belt, it is important for them to have short-term goals as well (i.e. getting their next stripe/belt, making it to green belt in order to start sparring, etc.) These sit-downs should occur at the beginning of each 8-week cycle to ensure that your child has a plan...And then, Stick to the plan! You know how good they will feel when they reach their goals. Set them up for success!
Ask your child what they learned in class, what the nutrition topic is, the hardest kick they are working on, hold the target for your child at home to practice, and have them show you "their stuff." Sometimes, this makes all the dfifference in the world when it comes to a student's motivation to succeed. This all communicates to your child that dad thinks that their training is important, and an engaged parent leads to an engaged TaeKwonDo student with increased confidence and enjoyment for their art.
Have a consistent and predictable training schedule and readiness routine prior to getting in the car to come to their martial arts class. Kids need consistency and thrive on a schedule. So many parents have said over the years, "My child loves it when he is here. It is just hard to get him in the car." This is not a TaeKwonDo issue. After all, they love it once they are at TaeKwonDo. Often there is a house to car issue, and what I suggest is that you make it easier for your child to want to leave what they are doing prior to coming to class. Obviously, if your child is playing with their friends every time TaeKwonDo class comes around, that student can easily translate coming to TaeKwonDo into a negative experience that prevents them from playing with their friends. However, if you attend TaeKwonDo on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and those are days in which your child finishes his homework, and he plays with his friends on Mondays and Wednesdays, I am sure that you will have an eager TaeKwonDo student waiting for you already suited up in the car. How you prepare for class can make a big difference as well.
In closing, It is an honor to teach your child and to be a role-model for them. We do not take this responsibility lightly...And We appreciate you reading this article, because it shows that you really are an involved parent! Thank You!
