DAILY CUSTODY TIP: Do you have any idea what they’re really teaching your kids at school?

You should familiarize yourself with the curriculum at your child’s school if you want to gain an edge in your child custody dispute. Of course, this is good parenting advice in general. But learning what your kids are learning in the classroom can bolster your chances of success in the Family Court too....as long as you put this knowledge to work.

For example, does your child’s teacher use a "Word Wall" as a device to teach reading skills. A Word Wall helps primary students to learn sight words, sounds, rhymes, word patterns and spelling skills. Try building a Word Wall at home to extend the experience at school. What about mathematics? Does your school use the traditional skills-and-drills method of teaching math, or are the teachers more creative? For example, some teachers ask students to take measurements of objects in the classroom, or to measure the length of a hallway (in yards, then in feet, inches and centimeters). This is another skill set that can be carried into the household after the school day ends.

Older students may be learning about certain cultural themes such as "prejudice" or "the environment." They may be studying historical periods such as "the Middle Ages" or "Colonial Times." Often, textbooks, films and other media are incorporated into thematic classroom discussions as part of a semester-long course on American History or Western Culture. These topical areas can be exploited and examined in greater detail at home as parents and children carry on discussions at the dinner table, or while watching a television relevant program together.

By engaging your children in relevant exercises, activities and discussions at home, that are tied to the educational activities at school, you’re not only improving your child’s chance of success at school, but you’re building a strong case for your role as a caring, devoted parent. In a child custody case, the court will be happy to see a parent who took the time to understand the child’s classroom curriculum and to extend the learning process into the home environment.