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Reading Standards Fall for Pupils in Primary Schools. Are We Surprised?
Scanning through the Times on Wednesday, I noted that the reading standards of our children have fallen for the 2nd year in a row. Whilst question marks are inevitably being asked about the robustness of the figures and the finger pointed as usual at the teaching profession, don’t we as parents have a lot to answer for in how we bring up and negotiate with our children?
Since one of the key indicators of a child’s performance in education is whether they read for pleasure, as parents we should be doing all we can to encourage reading at home. If we can’t inspire, support and develop literacy skills for the future in our children what else can we do?
Kids, like the rest of us it seems, are inherently lazy and will take the path of least resistance in terms of how they fill their time. The epidemic of TV watching (3 hours per day for many 5 year olds) and obesity (one third of under 12’s are classed as overweight) are testament to that.
Many people see negotiation as a business discipline focused on commercial conflicts or maximizing revenues. That is indeed one of the clear benefits of a clear understanding of the negotiation process and the skills involved.
We can also use negotiation to solve softer and even domestic issues, though. You want the kids to read more? Negotiate. You want them to clean out their rooms or take care of their rabbit? Negotiate.
But make sure you are tooled up and prepared to follow through. These guys are good!