Teach and Parent with Confidence: 22 Tips for a Fulfilling Life of Influencing Kids

The premise of this book is to share some tidbits that I have learned over 28 years of teaching and 20 years of parenting. I hope that any parent or teacher can find motivation, ideas, and hope from this work. It is not an associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, or master’s degree that equips you to handle being a parent or a teacher. The only way to prepare yourself is to care about children and never give up on them. Students are a precious gift that thousands of parents entrust to teachers every year. If you are a parent, our children are unique gifts that God has entrusted to us. It is your willingness to learn new things, try new things, and open your hearts to care about the young people assigned to you every single day. They will be your guide and abiding passion. They will steal your energy and then replenish it with the energy they give you when they laugh at your jokes, engage in their learning, and hang on to your words. There will be moments, days, and even weeks in your career or parenting that you question your value. Hang in there. Teaching and parenting are like life and can sometimes feel like a roller coaster. Sometimes you will have your highs, and everything feels right. Other times, you will have your lows and will need to pick yourself back up and rely on others to help you along the way. We are all teachers, whether it is an official teaching job, a volunteer coach, a grandparent, a parent, a neighbor, or a stranger. We have endless opportunities to encourage and teach children if we look for them. When my sister was in high school, a guest speaker talked to her class about real estate. Little did that stranger know that my sister held on to that conversation and became a successful real estate agent. Sometimes children can hear things from their parents over and over again, but the voice of a caring and interested stranger can make a difference. When my mom was in school, she loved her home-economics teacher and wanted to sew and make meals as her teacher did. Because of that teacher, my mom is an excellent seamstress and makes clothing repairs and Halloween costumes for us every year. During my teaching career, so many parents have asked me to put a “bug” in their child’s ear about something because they knew their child would listen to me before they’d listen to them. If opportunities arise, and they will, listen to a child - encourage them, offer advice, support them, ask questions, and listen. You might never know how much influence you can have on a child, but it shouldn’t surprise you that your advice or encouragement might help them with a life or career decision. Whenever I read a book, listen to a podcast, or attend a professional conference, my goal is to leave with one or two new strategies to try. As you read this book, I hope to pass on a few tips that have helped me love the teaching profession and love being a parent. Perhaps you are a brand new teacher who is nervous and excited about teaching, a mid-career teacher seeking to elevate your practice, a teacher close to retirement reflecting on your teaching career, a new parent, or a parent of teens. In any case, I hope you can find something in this book that inspires or rejuvenates you. At the end of each chapter, you will find an extra credit opportunity to help you implement the tips into your life, allowing you to serve the children in your care more effectively. As you read through my book, you will learn how I feel about the dreaded word “homework.” Quite honestly, I believe you’ve achieved a lot by reading and making it through each chapter. If you’re an over-achiever and are up for a challenge, please take what you’ve read and complete the extra credit opportunity as you apply what you’ve learned to your own life in some capacity.
ASIN: 1734457929
VSKU: BVV.1734457929.A
Condition: Acceptable
Author/Artist:Helmer, Carrie
Binding: Paperback
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: The item is very worn but is perfectly usable. Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents, worn and creased covers, folded page corners and minor liquid stains. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include moderate to heavy amount of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. Page edges may have foxing age related spots and browning . May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.