Grandparents Helping Grandchildren Get Grand GradesCategory: Family
Article added by: Pat Burns
Spending time with your grandchildren can dramatically change once school is back in session. After-school activities such as soccer, dance and music lessons can absorb the care free time once enjoyed during the more relaxing days of the summer and winter holidays. Helping your grandchildren with their homework is one way grandparents can stay connected when there isn’t much time for anything else. Hardly anyone is rejected, no matter what age, when an offer to help with homework is given.
With the hundreds of grandparents I interviewed for my book Grandparents Rock, one thing became clear these hip-n-happening grandparents, after a very long hiatus from school, enjoyed the task of studying and homework. Of course, these grandparents didn’t do the homework for their grandkids, but their suggestions were heeded, and in some cases, played a role in the "A” their grandchildren received.
Many grandparents find it fun to refresh their own early education and knowledge when helping with homework. "Using email gives me the opportunity to help my grandson with his math homework”, says Martin from Las Vegas, "It allows me to stay involved even though I’m two states away!”
During one of my visits to Arizona, my grandson Dylan was given an extra credit assignment of watching a DVD movie about the Gettysburg battle for his social studies class. It was a very long four hour movie…. probably a mini series on TV, because I don’t ever recall there being such a long film in the theaters. Well, we sat through it over two nights and had only a short conversation about it before I had to fly back home to California. I thought my assignment was done.
A few days later Dylan called me to discuss my thoughts about the movie and some fairly provoking essay questions his teacher allocated. Questions like, which Gettysburg character had the greatest impact on the war’s outcome? What did General Lee do to create his troops popularity? Give examples and so on ….
Good grief, I thought these were very subjective questions. I spent 30 minutes discussing the different characters and plots of the film with Dylan in preparation for his writing the extra credit essay. Once he had written his answers to the rather difficult questions, he then emailed me his report. To ensure his teacher that he watched the entire four hour film, we elaborated on all of his answers. This task took us several hours over three different nights.
It was all worth it because Dylan received the extra credit he was hoping for and I was delighted to learn that his teacher wrote across the paper, "Well thought out answers Dylan!” Whew, I passed!
Ultimately, staying connected with our grandchildren is just about everyone’s desire and is one of the secrets to a happy relationship that last a lifetime; and doing activities together with our grandchildren, physically or virtually, is a great way to stay connected. Listening to their stories, reading together, shooting hoops, baking, building wooden objects in the shop or garage or helping with homework … it’s the everyday routines we share with them that marks their memories even as much as the big "special occasion” activities. Besides, how can it hurt to brush up on history, connect with nature, remember old math verse new math… it can fun! Doing homework with your grandchildren can bring about lots insights for both of you… some grandkids think you lived during the American Revolution and really knew General Lee… that misunderstanding is worth time in detention!
Pat Burns is a popular public speaker and author of Grandparents Rock: The Grandparenting Guide for the Rock-n-Roll Generation. To receive Pat’s 10 Rock’n Tips on How to Help Your Grandchildren Be Happy or purchase her book go to www.grandparentsrock.com
Posted By: Pat Burns
Web: http://www.thepatburns.com
Contact: e-mail
| About the Author: |
| Pat's extensive talents are wrapped up in three projects: ThePatBurns.com, Grandparents Rock enterprise and along with her partner Barry Ackerman, the hugely successful Orange County Children's Book Festival. As cofounder, she serves as the Executive Director.
Starting off as a single Mom with two small children, she began her real estate career in sales, and within two years reached the top 10% nation wide. After eight years of ongoing sales success, she was recruited for Century 21 International to serve as the Recruiting Manager for four states and 150 offices. At the same time, Pat moved forward to start her own training and speaking company, Pat Burns Seminars, and became a highly sought-after general session keynote speaker for more than 500 meetings and conventions. Pat has presented keynote addresses and workshops to business groups, associations and corporations throughout North America and Asia.
In addition to Pat’s successful publication of Grandparents Rock: The Grandparenting Guide for the Rock-n-Roll Generation she has written numerous articles on sales, marketing and management featured in a great variety of magazines.
Pat spent three years advancing a multi-billion dollar business, International Trading Corporation, in Saigon and Bangkok assisting the team in formation of company structure and operations. She developed cross-cultural communications skills and learned the valuable lesson of PATIENCE. Her consulting relationship with this company continues to this day.
After completing assignments in Asia (where she lived and worked off and on for nearly three years), Pat was selected to serve as general manager of the Millionaire Summit and partner with best selling authors Mark Victor Hansen and Robert G. Allen. Mark is the co-creator of the phenomenally successful Chicken Soup for the Soul book series (100 million sold and growing) Bob created the "buy real estate nothing down" industry with his number one New York Times best-selling Nothing Down book and seminar series. Later that program evolved, under Pat’s direct supervision, into the high-end membership program called the Inner Circle. With the Inner Circle Pat selected unique venues and extraordinary events like a private dinner in the famous Istanbul Topeka Palace, spending a day at the Abandoned Baby Center in Nairobi, Kenya, a summit of Mt. Whitney and Mt. Kilimanjaro and a private interview with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Pat creates memories that last forever and there’s still more to come. Philanthropy and tithing are the cornerstones of her beliefs. As a volunteer, Pat commits her time to raising funds to end illiteracy and support education. |
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