By Casey Neill
Success at school is about teamwork, says author and principal Andrew Oberthur.
His book Are You Ready for School? helps both parents and educators to smooth a child’s transition into primary school.
“Educating children needs to be a collaborative exercise between teachers and parents,” he said.
“The teacher is going to know your child only second-best to you.
“The message of this book is that if parents and teachers work together, the result should be children who are confident contributors to society.
“Parents cannot provide a complete education without teachers.
“Teachers cannot provide a complete education without parents.”
Mr Oberthur covered both bases in the book because few other resources do.
“As a parent, you often hear from the parenting experts of the world. Then you’ve got teachers listening to the teaching experts of the world,” he said.
“Yet we’re talking about the same kids.
“Let’s make sure we’re talking about the same thing in the same way so we get the same outcome, which is happy and healthy kids.”
He’s been a teacher for more than 30 years and has teenage children.
“I live and breathe this stuff and have to relate to parents and teachers,” he said.
“I’m not saying I have expertise in any fields, but I have experience in both fields.
“The current pressures that both teachers and parents are experiencing is growing every year.
“The ultimate goal is that the child knows mum and dad and the teachers are on the same page.
“That’s going to make for a harmonious, positive relationship.”
When an issue comes up, Mr Oberthur recommends parents listen to their child cautiously then get the school’s version of events.
He said parents should ask what happened at school that day, and relay their child’s account.
“You’re inviting the teacher to give you their version of events,” he said.
Second, they should ask the school policy on the issue and, third, they should ask how they would work together to support their child’s learning.
“You’re going to build a culture of trust and collaboration,” he said.
He said kinder played a huge role in preparing kids for school.
“The good programs give children the foundational skills to have them ready to attend to the formality of learning in a primary school,” he said.
“We should be setting them up so when they come to the formality of a classroom, the children have the skills necessary to return to learning.
“But you’re the first educators of your child in everything.”
