Successful Parenting Tips

8 suggestions to help you, help your student achieve in school

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dr. James Ewers has been teaching for more than 30 years.  He recently retired from Edward Waters College, where he served as the Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management.  He now works as an education consultant sharing his experience and advice to successfully raising the next generation.

Ewers has 8 tips to successful parenting:

1. Keep up with your child's social media outlets.

Ewers says, "Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, all of those things have a relationship to your child and I think you have to know exactly what your child is doing and saying on social media because if you don't there could be some trouble brewing.  You need to make sure that the language they are using with other students is a good language."

2. Develop a relationship with your child's school.

Ewers warns parents, not to wait until something happens and urges them to volunteer.  He suggest, meet with your child's teachers, principal and vice principal so you know how your child is performing in school every step of the way.

3) Be a good listener.

Ewers says parents are busy and suggests carving out "good listening time."  "You really have to be perceptive enough to read between the lines and understand what they are not saying. "They may be reaching out for help and crying out for help and you really have to carve out some quality time in order to engage them," says Ewers.

4) Establish boundaries, for example, curfew, cell phone use, television.

5) Have conversations with your child about a variety of subjects.

6) Have a good idea about who your child's friends are.

7) Be your child's parent, not his/her friend. 

Ewers says,"there are two ships.  There's either the parent-ship or the friendship.  You can't be your child's friend," warns Ewers.  "You can't talk in their language.  You must carve out a set of rules and expectations so that your child understands that you are the authority figure in your home," he added.

8) Be supportive when your child is involved in a school activity.

"I think it's important you attend school functions, go and cheer them on," says Ewers.  "That provides them with a level of perceived success you want them to have," he says.

Dr. Ewers started his teaching career in the Washington, D.C. public school system.  He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, N.C and a Master of Arts in Education from Catholic University in Washington, D.C.  He earned his Doctor Of Education from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts.  He has served as vice president of student affairs at several institutions.

Ewers and his wife now live in Jacksonville where they are helping to raise their two grandchildren.

   


About the Author:

Jennifer, who anchors The Morning Shows and is part of the I-TEAM, loves working in her hometown of Jacksonville.