家长们好，今天的分享是可能最关键的一个了——关于怎么帮助你孩子成长。我今天想分享一本很棒的书《The Smartest Kids in the World》，以及基于我的个人经历去跟大家探讨如何培养你的孩子成为21世纪的全球公民。
Hello readers, this article is written for the parents out there who care about your child’s education but are concerned about how to do it right or make it better.
你们可能不知道的是，PISA中的一部分是用来考家长的，因为PISA相信家长对于孩子的成长至关重要。
Lately, I’ve been reading a book called “The Smartest Kids in the World” and I realized that it’s got some vital tips on family education in relations to how to prepare them for the 21st century. If you take a look at PISA, they’ve conducted systematic testing for 15 year old students from all around the world, but DID YOU KNOW they did one for parents as well? Their belief is that parenting plays AS MUCH as what they learnt at school and I’d like to recap and further explain some of these points today as part of my family education philosophy.
那怎么培养你的孩子呢？可能最重要的点就是变成一个教练/导师。很多中国家长为孩子的学习而纠结——如何帮孩子选最好的学校，或怎么做功课，但往往忽视了一个更为关键的点，那就是和他们一起探索和设定学习以及人生的目标。
Firstly, what makes good parenting work? One of the ways that is suggested in the book which I agree is the concept of COACH parents(and no I don’t mean the cheerleading kind). The coach parent should be someone who works with their kids to set high expectations for their learning (not just results) and to get them to accomplish their goals. This could be the form of academic grades, extracurricular activities, community service, etc etc. but it’s really about a holistic way of looking at their future and getting them to reach their potential (however they choose it to be). Now you’re thinking, what are the more concrete things that I can do for my child? Well…let’s jump into those actions you can take.
另外一个家长们非常关注的问题，就是如何帮助孩子提高学习能力。对于这点，作为家长最易实现的就是创造阅读的环境。不是阅读课本，而是阅读广泛的知识。以及以身作则，帮助孩子培养阅读的兴趣和习惯。
Reading is an absolutely key element in parenting. And no, I don’t mean sending your kids to reading class. I mean YOU as parents read to your children at night before going to bed. Why should you do this? Reading itself sends a signal to your kids not just about the importance of reading, but about learning all new kinds of things. Think about it as improving curiosity of your kids, what better way to show them than to actually promote new topics outside of the classroom (such as the classics Journey to the West or even more modern issues such as global warming, tsunamis around the world, the war in Syria, etc) What’s the best age range, well anything from 3 - 12 should be a good age range for you to do that. The key is for you to make this a habit/practice for your kids until it’s self engrained for them to do it without you. My parents have always supported me in terms of reading AT LEAST 30 minutes a night, which I have kept till this day (call me a 学霸)but I just think it’s important to be curious to learn.
那沟通有两面，一是问问题，二是回答。教练式的沟通最重要的就是学会问问题。练习一下每天问你孩子3个关键问题：今天在学校怎么样？今天学到了什么？学到哪个最开心？
Questioning is part of the coaching process. Ask kids 3 simple questions at the end of each day: How had school gone? What have you learnt at school and what did you like the most at school? These 3 questions will predictively highlight if your child has faced any emotional or intellectual challenges, showcase if they understood what they’d experienced and demonstrate to you what their interests might be in. Your role as a parent is to then coach (not tell) them what they can do to be better selves for tomorrow. It’s about facilitating reflection, and less about trying to reach an outcome you want. This might be hard, but start by asking these questions and any follow up questions that lead your child to finding out more about themselves. My parents have always supported me in asking the difficult questions during my transitional phases of my life: Do you want to move to another country to further your studies? Do you want to really be an educator? Is this the best you can do? These are just types of questions you should be asking your child as they progress in different parts of their lives.
我希望与父母分享的最后一个提示是成为榜样的重要性。最好是显示给他们或给他们一个好的案例。
One final tip I’d like to share with parents is the importance of being the role model. As with any coach, you will find a time when there’s just not much more you can say to your child on how they can improve. Rather, you will need to SHOW them or give them examples to follow. Take for the case in entering a good college, rather than tell them the methods of researching and giving them data considerations, spend some time with them to run through the videos and information about those colleges. Guide them by asking them questions about their choices. Remember your role is not to give them any answers that they or you don’t already know, but to support them in making their decision AS AN ADULT when the time comes. My parents have always acted as a role model for me, in being responsible, hardworking and critically evaluating steps in their life. These are values I’ve absorbed and will pass it on to my kids down the road….
我希望这些提示能帮助你找到自己做家长的方式。有关家庭教育的更多信息，请查看以下一些链接：
I hope that these tips will help you to find your way. For more information about parenting, check out some of the following links:
https://blog.feedspot.com/parenting-blogs/ 这一个网站有一百多个小博客在里面，随你挑！
http://www.momentsaday.com 这位妈妈与家人分享简单的想法，连接，塑造品格，并有所作为。从简化你的家到阅读母性和育儿的真实故事。
https://karacarrero.com 这位妈妈培养孩子自主学习，自然养育，可持续生活和积极思考。值得学习！
I really think parenting in the 21st century will play a much bigger role than any education program out there, despite myself being an education professional. What happens at home ultimately decides how a child will be, whether they like it or not. So parents, I implore you to dig deeper & really think about how you can play a better role model and coach for your kids in the future. Last advice – “Learn new things. Explore the world. Break free from your limitations.”
我真的认为21世纪的培养孩子将比任何教育项目发挥更广泛的作用。家里发生的事情最终会决定孩子将会变成什么样的人，不管他们想不想。因此，家长们我想请您深入挖掘，并真正思考如何在未来为您的孩子创造一个更好的榜样和教练。
最后的建议给家长们 “学习新事物。探索世界。摆脱限制”，这样子才会给你孩子一个好榜样学习！
