One-to-One: Can It Be Done?
By Don McCabe

All schools, not just Christian schools, have known that there are children with special needs who need one-to-one instruction. But how can it be done? There are so many children who, for example, have problems learning how to spell, how to write, and/or how to read.

Actually, the answer has always been there. It’s simple. It’s common sense. If parents can teach their children to speak, which is by far the most difficult of all learning tasks, then surely, with our help and guidance, parents can be taught how to help their children at home.

The public school system already has adult community education courses dedicated to such tiny minorities as those who want to know how to decorate cakes, do yoga, belly dance, learn karate, and make their dogs behave.

Isn’t it about time that we had some help for our parents who know their children are struggling and want to know what they can do to help at home?

Surely schools realize that the struggling students would be learning if only they had plenty of one-to-one instruction. It doesn’t take an MBA degree to realize that the schools can’t afford to do it themselves. And it doesn’t take a Ph.D. degree to realize that parents won’t charge them a dime to volunteer their time to give their own children one-to-one instruction.

The kicker is that it really can’t be done on school time. Imagine a classroom of 30 children, one teacher, one teacher’s assistant, and five parents. Pandemonium would reign.

The answer lies in having the one-to-one being done at home not in the school. That’s why it is so important that the parents receive their training in an adult community education course in which there is a simple, absolute commandment: thou shalt not criticize your child’s school or teacher or curriculum. Negative comments will not be tolerated. It’s non-productive. The parents must concentrate on how they can help their children solve their reading problems.

Perhaps, we can get one Christian school teacher to “infiltrate” the adult community education program by volunteering to teach a night class for parents who want to know how they can help their child at home when they’re having trouble learning how to spell, read, or write.

Who knows, maybe a good teacher would end up accidentally recruiting new students for your Christian school for next year!

Don McCabe is research director of AVKO Educational Research Foundation, www.spelling.org.