Like it or not, you’re the “Decider”

If you are like 97% of American parents, your kid attends either a public or private school. So you don't need to worry about your kid’s education. That’s the teacher’s job, right?

Wrong! Even if you're not a homeschooler, you still are the curator of your child's education. You are the Teacher-in-Chief.

Consider all the ways that your decisions as a parent affect your child's education. If you moved to a new house or apartment, you may have considered the quality of the school system you were moving into. (In fact, if it is considered a "good" school system, you likely paid a hefty premium compared to homes just across the district boundary.) You decided whether to go with public school, private school, or homeschool. You attend parent-teacher conferences, communicate with teachers, and may have extra meetings if your child has an Individualized Education Plan. Maybe you volunteer at the school or with the PTA, or buy candy bars and wrapping paper when there's a fundraiser. You probably help with homework, and periodically rush out to get a trifold board for school projects.

Even outside the school setting, your choices continue to enrich your child’s education. You might arrange for your child to attend afterschool activities and summer camps—and chauffeur them back and forth, endlessly. You probably take your kids on occasional outings and trips. You provide books, toys, games, and possibly tablets or computers. As a family you may watch and discuss movies, videos, and TV shows. You teach your child in everyday conversations, and model life skills through your words, actions, and attitudes.

That's a lot of decisions, and a lot of teaching that you do every day!

So whether we like it or not, we aren't just parents. We are parents AND educators—let's just call us parent-ucators. Whether we're choosing the school, the camps and activities, or teaching our kids ourselves, we make decisions every day that affect our children's education. We may as well make the most of it.

Besides, in some ways we can do a much better job. Because it turns out, school is not the best place to learn critical thinking — home is.

Read the book to understand why!