About the DreamBox Edu-Parent Quiz
As part of our commitment to support parent involvement in their children’s education, DreamBox Learning has sponsored the development of this Edu-Parent™ Quiz. It’s designed to help parents assess the style with which they interact and engage with their children on variety of educational topics. The Edu-Parent Quiz was co-authored and compiled by recognized educators and experts on parent education with over 30 years of community leadership.
The Edu-Parent Styles
There are a range of edu-parent styles, and each offers benefits and presents unique challenges. Here are the different styles that our experts have identified.
Coach
Coaches expect their children to always do their personal best and become successful learners. They talk with their children about school and steer them towards situations that play to their learning strengths. Children come to coaches to brainstorm ideas. They help their children “practice” and encourage them in any endeavor, offering reinforcement, advice and praise. The feedback coaches give helps their children course-correct, and learn from any experience.
A Coach’s challenges are:
- To recognize when to let their children take the baton and run on their own.
- And to realize that not everything in life has a game plan.
Historian
Historians share both knowledge and confidence borne out of a wealth of experience. They want to save their children the trouble of re-inventing the wheel — they’ve learned what does and doesn’t work and want to pass this along! Historians want kids to understand and benefit from valuable lessons they learned growing up. They take time to explain how to complete tasks and projects, and show their children how to take proven and effective approaches in their life. Historians are available to provide guidance and direction when needed and their children may seek out their tried and true advice and support.
An Historian’s challenges are:
- To recognize and adapt when their children prefer their own unique and effective solutions.
- And to let their children learn about the process of discovery instead of prescribing the outcome.
Mentor
Mentors are focused on preparing their children for life-long learning. When talking with their children, they listen and guide with questions, often providing choices and decision-making opportunities. While strategies and boundaries they establish might be invisible to the casual observer, they ground their parenting style. By modeling independent thinking and problem solving, Mentors hope their children become independent learners and thinkers in their own right.
A Mentor’s challenges are:
- To listen to what their children are saying, rather than listening for what they want to hear.
- And to respect their children’s independent thoughts and ask the next question—even when they disagree.
Observer
Believing that children learn from their experiences, and with a high tolerance for mistakes, Observers feel children do best with minimal parental interference. Sometimes they stand back and let the situation unfold in its own way — thinking they may not have the right answer — knowing the more experiences their children have, the more confident they will be as adults. Assuming things will work out, as they should, Observers believe the most valuable gift is letting go.
An Observer’s challenges are:
- To recognize when their children need them to be available.
- And to help their children know when they need to ask for assistance or advice and whom they might ask.
Superhero
Superheroes understand the value of hard work and persistence, and have high standards. They teach their children to always do their best, and that it never hurts to have an extra set of eyes double-check their work to eliminate errors. They have that eye for detail and help their children by showing them where something might need a bit more work or attention. Because Superheroes are dedicated to the end result, they will help their children finish projects and provide encouragement, guidance and assistance to make sure their best is always represented in everything they do.
A Superhero’s challenges are:
- To recognize how mistakes can become steppingstones to learning.
- And to help their children decide when and how to be independent with their work.
