Home life a crucial factor in children's success
The start of a new school year is a reminder of the crucial role that the home plays in a child's educational success. I was reminded of this reality on Thursday night as I sat at a meeting of the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Edison, where I am a member of the school board. Each board member is assigned as liaison to the PTOs of two district schools, and I was fortunate enough to receive Thomas Jefferson as one of my assignments.

It was a couple of days into the new school term, and the room, normally the teachers lounge, was filled with optimism. A new school year means a fresh beginning for kids and parents, and for teachers, as well. One of the largest turnouts ever for one of the school's monthly PTO meetings, more than two dozen parents crowded into seats around the tables and on the sofas. The parents were joined by the principal, the vice principal and a few teachers.

It was interesting to note, as some of the parents did, that one of the difficulties of attracting more parents to these meetings is the drop-off in involvement that occurs among parents as their children work their way up into the secondary grades. The parents were on to something. This is a national phenomenon, not one confined to Edison or to New Jersey. Parents throughout the country seem to think that their children need less of their support as they ascend into higher grades.

How wrong they are. Success in school, like a stool that rests on three legs, depends on three sources of support: the student's own effort, the reinforcement of the home, and the contribution of teachers. Certainly, teachers should know and be able to present their subject matter, as well as have skills in engaging and motivating students. But this may not be enough.

Parents are responsible for giving education a place of honor in the home. They do this through word and deed so that youngsters know that their family values education and that there are payoffs down the line for scholastic achievement. Parents don't have to be educated themselves in order to reinforce education in their children's lives.

Students have to learn that they control one of the most important ingredients in success: effort. Hard work makes a great deal of difference in school, but too many American students are too quick to write off effort, copping out with excuses that they just aren't smart enough.

Thus, it was refreshing to sit among those attending the PTO meeting at Thomas Jefferson and to share their enthusiasm. All four of Edison's middle schools should strive to engage as many parents as possible in the PTO and other activities. Every attempt should be made to avoid losing the involvement that parents show so much more willingly when their children are in elementary school. Middle school is the make-or-break point for lots of kids, and they need as many adults as possible in their lives to buffer them through the rigors of pre-adolescence.
Gene I. Maeroff
Edison