<p>The other thread has taken off into a discussion of the worth of public education, but I thought it might be interesting to come up with our own list, whether your child is in public or private education...</p>
<p>My ideas: (in random order as I thought of them)
1. Your child needs a routine including bedtimes. When I run to the local Safeway for milk at 9 PM and see elementary school children, or drive by the little league field at 10 and there are games on, those kids are going to not be able to absorb much in the morning.
2. Model reading. Every day, show your child how important reading is. Read to them, read in front of them, read everything and talk about it. Have the SAT word of the day calendar on the table from age 8. Talk about words, what they mean and their origins.
3. Show everyday examples of math in their real world. Cook with fractions. Talk about what a percentage means in whatever context (sports, finance,) your kid pays attention to.
4. Limit screen time. Of all types. Control the cell/smart phone/tablets of your teens between 10 PM and 8 AM. Don't have Internet access in their rooms. It's an addictive waste of time. (just look at us...)
5. Never let your child overhear your rants and gripes about specific teachers. Mine had some doozies over the years, and it never helped if they knew, for example, that we thought that Se</p>