The communication gap between the parent and child has been breached after parents and grandparents completed a Wordworks seven-week skills training course to educate parents on how to assist children with reading and homework, at Hillwood Primary School, in Lavender Hill, on Thursday March 10.
Gavin Alkana, principal said: “The fifteen parents and grandparents who graduated are empowered to assist the school and their own families.
“This course has changed many lives. It has created a resource base.
“The spin-off of this course is positive. Parents are assisting teachers at our school and they are focusing on our weaker pupils to help them with reading.
“We have big classes of 40 pupils and it can become daunting for the teacher. One grandparent Josephine Meyers who completed the course are now volunteering to assist a Grade 2 teacher.” “Now that she has learnt the skills she can sit with a group of pupils and teach them to read. Ms Meyers has three grandchildren in Grade R, Grade 3 and Grade 5.”
Ms Meyers said they have been taught the basics of reading and how to teach children to read. “For example if you read them a story you must make use of actions and sounds. So if it’s a story about a lion you should roar,” she explained.
Barbara Shepherd, who is assisting a Grade 3 teacher at Hillwood Primary every Monday and Wednesday, said the communication gap between her and her son has been breached. “My son Diego who is in Grade 6 at Prince George Primary School, can now easily talk to me about his school work.”