Good article - what teachers want to really tell parents

[concern2]

Chenonceau:

autumnbronze:

[quote=\"pinky\"]do you think parents will demand teachers: what can you do to help my child achieve 4A* in the coming PSLE or 6 pointers in the O levels?

This has been demanded by a pupil before as experienced by a friend. On the first day of her teaching career, the pupil arrogantly asked her \"what have you got to teach that I don't already know?\" :roll:

Humanity
Love
Respect
Consideration
Humility[/quote] :goodpost: This could be a result of over praising kids that they become so big-headed.

In every industry, there'll always be people who do it for the extrinsic value alone and those who have more passion. It really depends on our children's luck which teacher they get Many of my friends are teachers, and they like what they do, and they care about the kids - despite that being their first and only jobs. It takes a certain temperament to stay in a career like teaching - to take it for the extrinsic value alone, one cannot go very far with it.

When my child was in kindergarten, there were teachers who came and went, and some who stayed, but also those whom I did not like very much - not personally, but by the kind of things they say in front of the kids. But academic wise, the school provided the foundation I want for my child. So, having decided to stay on, I made it a point to talk to DS everyday to find out what goes on in school (without having to confront the teachers), and asking him about his feelings, correcting them and advising him on what I thought was wrong of the teacher to say (so ask him not to parrot and what to tell the teacher should she said it again in the future, and when to keep his mouth shut).

Ultimately, school is the first society the kids are exposed to, and they are there to gain more than knowledge and grades. I do not quite understand if there is any advantage that comes out of being demanding with the child's teacher - unless it is a one-to-one. But even then, there are limits as to what good results will come out of bad teacher-parent relationship.

[sall]

To limlim,

If your child’s sch happens to conduct fire-drill for half a day, that does not mean every sch in S’pore is doing that.
About high turn over rate of teachers, that is also true. I know many teachers from diff sch who gave me the details.
You may have taught in a private sch or tuition centre. This is very different from teaching in a govt sch. There is no basis for comparison.
Many teachers are taking sedatives to calm their nerves. I am not obliged to give details of the schools the teachers are teaching in. These teachers are not the newly graduated ones who ‘can’t handle stress’.
There is always a demand for long-term relief teachers. These are not to cover the duties of those on maternity leave, but to cover permanent vacancies. If MOE does not choose carefully and all Tom, Dick or Harry can join the teaching profession, then more parents will be complaining. We should be thankful MOE is choosy.
You have to teach in a govt sch to understand the work of teachers. Please show respect for them instead of just declaring how ‘shiok’ teaching is.
Many people may be applying to be teachers because they, like you, think that teaching is so ‘shiok’.

[daisyt]

Teaching is definately not an easy job, nowadays not only need to teach children, still need to educate parents. Even my child told me, she would never be a teacher.


Due to many long holidays and GE, PE, the teachers already told the students, prepare to stay back for additional lessons to catch up.

Of course, no matter which profession, there are a few back sheeps. But i would feel, teachers like nurses, doctors, social workers, their job is not so simple as after office hours, you can just forget about your work and be yourself. They tend to bring more emotions home. Just my feeling lor…

[Joule]

My purpose in posting the article is just to encourage parents to treat teachers a little better. Sorta encourage self reflection.


by the way, I am not a teacher but I was a full time IT trainer in a school with a timetable similar to teacher for 3 yrs in a neighbourhood sch.

By the end of 2 yrs....I can go to other teachers (esp the long term ones) and say! WAAAH! You are a GOD! How can you even take this kind of job!!!!

Yes, and I also know some of my teacher colleagues struggle with things like depression, office politics, etc..... It's a bad job, but some of the people there are really altruistic.

E.g... this rotten kid that everyone else would give up on, some of the teachers really go out of their way to help....and then they kena from the principal or HODs because their CCA is not winning prizes or their student grades are slipping....or maybe some parent complained about them....sometimes I really dunno what to say...

:imanangel:

[concern2]

sall:

Many teachers are taking sedatives to calm their nerves. .. These teachers are not the newly graduated ones who 'can't handle stress'.

Sall, this reminds me: One of DS's kindergarten teacher used to be on medication because of stress. I didn't know that at first, just wondering how come the teacher's often on MC, and half-thinking I might as well pull him out and teach him myself. Then, one day, I overheard her joking to a supervisor that she had to quickly go take some tablets to calm down that I became more concerned and started 'probing' - being kayoh lah.

I realized then she had been taking medication for \"high-blood pressure\". My, and this kind of medication you can't stop taking once you start. Other than her mcs, she's one of the better teachers in the school, and had a long tenure. Many a times, she couldn't be too strict or the parents will start writing letters to the school principal, and there had been many such cases in the past. Since then, I'd been advising DS to be considerate in class, and he also started noticing and reporting to me on the incidents that cause classes to be disrupted.

Kids come from all sorts of family backgrounds, some could be normal, but some could be from broken marriages or from single parenthood. Kids also have their own character 'kuan' and behaves differently under different circumstances. When all these kids come together, getting along is one thing, trying to get them to settle down is another, not to mention getting them to learn. Sometimes, all it takes is for one to start talking and the entire class could be disrupted. This is talking about kindergarten, with average size of 15.

Imagine a larger class size of a government school, the first thing every kid ought to learn is discipline. Some form of unified behaviors are desired so everyone could learn and progress together - yet, you can't conduct classes like you're conducting a platoon (I say, you do, no questions asked). Definitely not easy, I would say.

[hquek]

SAHM_TAN:

Hi hquek,

My kids' kindy also have 2 school hols for ND. I think they just follow MOE. Actual days lost, 3 days are gone. Day 1 ND celebration, Day 2 PH, Day 3 the rest day after ND. But I think all pri, sec and JC will follow regardless whether the school participated in the ND?

I resigned myself to the NDP extra holiday already. Call me ngeow, but then I cannot understand why kindy will follow MOE holidays to a T, and then take more off days. Childcare centre don't have school holidays so they need teacher training days and all. I can't understand why that kindy - that have school holidays, also need teacher training days. Also, it's not just NDP, there were other holidays when the following day was an off day.

I think my kid goes there for more parties than anything. Consequently, starting this term, I've become super boh chap about his kindy and refuse to participate in of those parties/outings. For his real learning, I'm relying on external parties.

[SAHM_TAN]

Hi hquek,


My kindy also follow all the MOE school hols and 5 day work wk hols rule. So far the kids do not stay at home becos of teachers training. I just take the celebration as a means for them to learn about the festival or event.

[hquek]

hi sahm_tan,


But does your kids’ kindy take extra days off OTHER holidays (besides the NDP)? it seems they are free to set their own timing and all, I can’t understand why everything they must have, and more…it’s the "more" that I was not happy with.

In any case, I try not to be the monster parent. I don’t march up to the teachers to demand that they must give my child good grades. But if my child gets a bad one, I will want to know where his weakness are and how I can help. In fact, in DS1’s initial years, I wasn’t worried about academics in kindy, but rather I was only interested in how he was getting along with his classmates and teachers.

[pinky]

Chenonceau:

autumnbronze:

[quote=\"pinky\"]do you think parents will demand teachers: what can you do to help my child achieve 4A* in the coming PSLE or 6 pointers in the O levels?

This has been demanded by a pupil before as experienced by a friend. On the first day of her teaching career, the pupil arrogantly asked her \"what have you got to teach that I don't already know?\" :roll:

Humanity
Love
Respect
Consideration
Humility[/quote] :goodpost:
sorely lacking in this pupil :slapshead:
btw the question of 4A* was posed by a parent during a parents-teacher session to a relative of mine

[MandyMummy]

pinky:

do you think parents will demand teachers: what can you do to help my child achieve 4A* in the coming PSLE or 6 pointers in the O levels?

I have heard worse. One parent asked the Principal how he is going to groom her child to be a President Scholar and why should her child attend this school?? :yikes: