Accountability is the name of the game

As parents, there is always room for criticism about what your child’s school could do better:  they should have more project-based learning in science; they should start foreign language earlier; they need a better STEM club, integrated math isn’t covering all the material, etc.  However, the one thing that schools have always provided is structure and accountability.  

Now that schools have officially closed their physical space for the rest of the school year, parents are left wondering how their students will be held accountable for the class material.  Additionally, parents are trying to figure out their own work-from-home routine and now have the added responsibility of making sure that their student is working on material AND being held accountable for the results.  So, how can parents accomplish this?

At the top of the list is structure and routine. As discussed in our recent blog post, establishing a new schedule is paramount. After this is done, the tricky part is ensuring that this schedule is adhered to long enough for it to become habitual, thereby making the schedule itself the accountability. While some children can naturally adjust to their new schedule and hold themselves accountable, for the majority of students (and adults for that matter), only other humans can best provide this accountability.

You know your child better than anyone. This is both an immense advantage and an immense disadvantage, for you will know how best to hold your child accountable. But, it is likely that, as the parent, implementing this accountability will be fraught with complications. The structure that school provides is beneficial because students are held accountable by another adult, while you, as the parent, remain the nuclear option for when that accountability fails. 

So, no need to make this too complicated. Is there an aunt, uncle, or another respected adult that can check-in with your child? This can be daily for fifteen minutes, or weekly for an hour. You as the parent can disseminate how best to hold your child accountable; the other authority figure can best implement this.

We at Clayborne have over ten years of accountability expertise in organizational coaching and academic tutoring. We would be happy to help you in this endeavor, whether that be answering any questions you have or providing that source of accountability for your child.