Parents guide a child’s academic success
By Lethbridge Herald on August 23, 2025.
Michael Zwaagstra
Troy Media
With a new school year just around the corner, it’s up to parents to lay the foundation for their children’s success by choosing the right school and staying engaged with teachers.
Obviously, everyone wants their kids to have a smooth transition back to school. For those who are attending a school for the first time, it’s even more important to do some key things.
The first is to ensure that you choose the school that works best for your children. Most parents send their kids to the neighbourhood public school, and this is often a good choice. Other parents choose to enrol their children in an independent school, while some parents prefer to homeschool their children, either on their own or in cooperation with other homeschooling families.
Remember that when it comes to educating your children, you have more than one option available. There’s nothing wrong with switching your children from public school to an independent school or vice versa. If your current school isn’t working out for your children, never be afraid to explore other options.
Once you’ve decided where your children will attend, take advantage of every possible line of communication. School administrators are usually in the building at least a week before school starts. Feel free to call the school and ask to meet with the principal or vice-principal. Most administrators will welcome the opportunity to meet with you. It is a definite advantage for school administrators to know you and to recognize that you want to help teachers do their best job.
If you haven’t already done so, make sure you visit the school’s website if it has one. This is a great way to learn the names of the teachers, review various school policies, find out about programs of study, and check out upcoming school events. The more information you have about your child’s school, the better equipped you will be to handle sensitive issues that may arise during the year.
It’s also important to meet with your child’s teachers as soon as possible. Many schools host open houses at the beginning of the school year, providing a great opportunity to meet the teacher and visit your child’s classroom. If you can’t make it to the open house, email the teacher and ask whether you can stop by briefly either before or after school. Most teachers are happy to accommodate your schedule.
Tell the teacher that you are looking forward to having your child in their classroom. Also tell the teacher that you have told your child that your family supports them, and you want the teacher to know that.
One thing to watch out for is when teachers try to push their personal political views on their students. The good news is that most teachers will never do this and will simply want to ensure that the students receive the best education they can provide. Feel free to let the teacher know how important it is for the school personnel to respect your family’s values. This is an excellent message for teachers to hear.
Be careful not to overreact if you discover that a teacher’s personal or political beliefs differ from your own. Just because a teacher expresses certain views on social media or volunteers with a political party during election campaigns doesn’t necessarily mean they are pushing these views on students during class. Most teachers are aware of how important it is to stay impartial when teaching.
If you do run into problems with a teacher, don’t escalate things unnecessarily. Posting your complaints about a teacher on social media might get you a reaction, but it’s unlikely to help you resolve the underlying issue. Your child’s teacher deserves to be treated with respect. So, go straight to the teacher and express your concerns directly in a confidential discussion. Most of the time you should be able to work out a solution without much fuss.
If speaking with the teacher doesn’t resolve the issue, make an appointment with the school principal or vice-principal and express your concerns in a confidential meeting. If you are still unsatisfied, work your way up to the superintendent. Beyond that, you can contact your local trustees or possibly even your provincial MLA. The key thing is to exhaust all lower levels of communication before moving on to higher levels.
Sending your children to school should be a positive experience. By doing research first, communicating regularly with your children’s teacher and following the proper channels when you want your concerns addressed, you will go a long way to give your children the best chance for a successful school year.
Michael Zwaagstra is a senior fellow with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.
© Troy Media
17-16
just squeeze another few desks together, and there is the choice for school…unless one goes private or otherwise religious, where plenty of space exists and with thanks to our govt that funds privilege so very well.