by Tom Eddy

And you thought school and taking tests were over! That is what I thought too. However, while I was thinking about my grandchildren and their schooling the other day, I asked myself some questions regarding their education.

Wow! How embarrassed was I about how many questions I could NOT answer! To stay connected and involved with your grandchildren, I realized it takes some work and investigation.

Go ahead and ask yourself these ten questions about each grandchild and see how you do.

  1. What are the names of the schools they attend?
  2. What grades are they in?
  3. What are the names of their teachers?
  4. What school activities are they involved in? (band, orchestra, StuCo, clubs, choir, chess club, etc.)
  5. What are their favorite subjects?
  6. Do your grandchildren like school? Why or why not?
  7. Do they walk, carpool, or bus to school?
  8. What school sports do they play?
  9. Do they eat school lunch or bring their own lunch?
  10. Are they leaning a foreign language?

So how did you do? What grade did you get?

I am guessing this was not an easy quiz to pass for some of you. Many times we tend to think we know quite a bit about our grandchildren, and then we realize there is a great deal more to learn.

But hey, the good news is that this is kind of like an open-book test. You know where to find the answers! Get together with your grandchildren and tell them about your test and how you did … and be honest! Then let them know you value their answers and hear what they have to say about each question. I bet it will lead to a great conversation, with all kinds of information about their school experience. They will also love having you share YOUR answers to some of these questions related to when you were in school, “before technology.”

After your conversation, look for ways to connect with your grandchild around one of these items. Walk with them to school, help them practice a sport, help with homework via Skype, bring lunch and eat with them at school, and so on.

Tom Eddy was a school administrator for 27 years and is a retired school counselor. He and his wife Marty live in Overland Park, Kansas, and are proud parents of four married children and grandparents of 13 grandchildren (10 in Overland Park and three in Eugene, Oregon).