At that time, my own father had little to do with the actual labor of the school night's duties. His role was limited to passing out praise for a job well done. Beyond the immediate motivation which this involvement can provide to young learners, it clearly communicates the value which you place on education both in and outside of the classroom. There are rudiments of content and process involved in the plan which I employ. Content is the actual work that is accomplished-math problems are solved, English papers are written.
Process is the manner by which the content is achieved.
In order to attain a balance between helping and doing, content and process must neighbor each other. Kate, our oldest and a high school freshman, needs much less guidance from me now than does Kara, who as a fifth grader studying world geography, is at times nearly paralyzed without me at the end of her elbow. We talked about summer vacation. Our family has spend several weeks of every summer since her birth on the beaches of Martha's Vineyard. The discussion enabled her to use what she already knew though had kept hidden from herself until that moment.