LEWISTON — A Saturday morning workshop to help parents gain insight on how to help their children do well in school will be held Sept. 27 in Lewiston.

The workshop will be from 9 a.m. to noon at Advocates for Children at 124 Canal St. on the corner of Chestnut and Canal streets. The cost is $25 for one adult, $40 for couples.

The workshop will be led by Advocates for Children educator Nancy Reynolds.

Regardless of whether a parent is a high school dropout or has a Ph.D., parents are in powerful positions to improve or hurt how their child does in school, according to experts.

“Some parents feel inadequate. They say, ‘I don’t know how to do the math.’ But you don’t have to be an expert; there are ways to effectively coach your children to do well in school,” Reynolds said.

If a parent never finished high school or had a bad experience in school, it can be intimidating to walk into a school, Reynolds said.

Parent involvement is important in terms of success of the child in school, Reynolds said. “Sometimes we don’t realize that importance.”

She previewed a few how-to’s that will be covered in the workshop.

One is forming a good relationship with the child’s teacher, starting with meeting the teacher face-to-face. Also, set up a meeting or attend parent-teacher conferences. Be involved with the school. Not only do parents get to know the teacher, but it sends a message to students that their parents think school is a big deal, she said.

“If there’s an issue going on, speak to your child’s teacher,” Reynolds said. Before you go, write down your concerns. Ask the teacher how he or she sees the problem, and work on finding a common solution. Those steps are better than just going in and complaining, Reynolds said.

At home, create a special study area for children to do their homework. It should be a quiet environment, Reynolds said. “Sometimes at home there can be a lot of chaos. The TV is on. People are yelling and screaming. Set a regular time for study, which can be hard with so many activities.”

Parents are role models, she said. Parents can turn off the television and say it’s time for homework, and in general, limit television watching. Have children talk about homework and figure out what is a good, daily time for it.

Help children set up a ‘to-do list.’ When the work is done, have them check it off. Everyone likes checking off work completed on to-do lists, Reynolds said.

All parents can reinforce math and English lessons with things like following a recipe or going grocery shopping. Reading and math skills are required to cook and shop according to a budget. “Kids aren’t just learning in school,” Reynolds said. “Create a learning environment in everyday life.”

Pay attention to not only your child’s grades, but also his or her attitude about school and work ethic. Encourage them to try a little harder, to be curious and not to give up, Reynolds said.

Parents also need to pay attention to what they say and how they say it.

For instance, if a child comes home from school and says they got one word wrong on their spelling test, don’t say, “’I can’t believe you got that one wrong, we went over that.’” Over time, that kind of message “can be deflating,” Reynolds said.

Instead, encourage them about what they got right. Pay attention to words, body language and tone of voice, Reynolds said. “Are we being encouraging? We all need to hear about the successes we’re having,” not just what we did wrong.

Preregistration is encouraged by Wednesday, Sept. 24. For more information, call Advocates for Children at 207-783-3990.

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