Dear Parents/Guardians…..Posted by admin on October 7th, 2009
Working as a teacher, you are constantly subjected to scrutiny, be it students testing you to see how you react or your supervisor doing an observation. However, there is one category of person that surprisingly, doesn’t seem to want to meet or evaluate me at times: the parents!
Going to the mandatory Meet-the-Teacher night at school last week, I was shocked at the low turnout of parents. Granted there was rioting in Kampala (conflict between the government and members of the Buganda tribe), it still seems that looking back to the previous year, that attendance at parent-teacher conferences and the same event were lower than I had expected. This lack of teacher recognition was reinforced today, when a member of the PTA whom I knew by name and sight asked me if I was new to the school.
During my first year of teaching, a student asked me why I wanted to be a teacher. He stated that I was obviously smart; I could do anything, so why do a job where I am paid so little? I responded by asking him what was most important to his parents? It was sad that it took him a few minutes to come to the conclusion that I was talking about him (not money or a large company). I then stated that I probably spent more time with him than his parents during the school year, (he agreed with me on that), and that therefore my job was pretty important because his parents were intrusting me with shaping and taking care of what is most important to them. Not surprisingly, I never heard from or interacted with his parents in any way. Unfortunately, the less importance and respect parents give to teachers; the same will be true for their child.
Many people begrudge teachers their many holidays; a favorite colleague of mine says that teachers do not have vacations, they have recovery periods. Teaching is not just a job; it’s a vocation that goes beyond the hours of the school day. Teachers work very hard (harder than I ever thought when I was a student in high school) and put a lot of time and care into their students. As a parent, I am sure you appreciate the teacher that goes out of their way to do small things that enrich the world of your child. Well parents I have news for you, the same applies to for us teachers! A small thank you card or gift at the end of the year or for holidays makes a big difference to a teacher. Though the chocolates and flowers were nice, at my previous school, it was the sentiments of students and parents for Teacher Appreciation Day that meant the most to me.
Sadly, many parents at private schools feel they have done their duty by paying the tuition costs; it is up to the teacher to prepare their child for life and further schooling. It seems that parents are more involved in school the younger the child; secondary parents feel that they are not needed or maybe wanted. As an IB (International Baccalaureate) teacher and form tutor, I am busy preparing your child for university. In fact, not only am I teaching them subject material, life skills, and being a role model, I am probably helping them to write their applications and providing references. The more support I have from parents, the better I will be able to support these students and teach them what they need to succeed in the world; students will have a greater chance of success. Supporting teacher’s leads to better morale, this in turn leads to a happier, more positive and productive, learning environment.
Luckily most parents are wonderful: involved, concerned and caring when it comes to their child’s education. For all you parents out there who have baked me those delicious cookies, written those wonderful cards, taken your child out shopping to buy presents, come and supported a school event like the Science Symposium or even just showed up to parent-teacher conferences, I thank you! Rest assured these small things are noted an appreciated by all teachers alike.