Nowadays, we have to write about every student we teach, then see the parents at least twice a year as well as keep in touch with any problems or issues. Students also play the 'I don't understand the teacher' card with me as I do not speak the kiwi accent as I have more of an American accent after living in US for 5 years and working for an American corporation for almost 8 years! In between I also worked for British and Australian companies! My accent is not something I can change but I try to pronounce the Kiwi way with some particular words!
Fellow teachers sympathize with me and even English, Scottish and South African teachers share similar problems, too.
Do not get me wrong! There are some really wonderful and supportive parents but there are some really demanding ones who can even come out as bullies! I mean what do they want?!! There are lots of times when we feel that we are underpaid baby sitters! If a student is truant, we have to chase up to see where they are and then to figure out their alibis! Then we have to call home with the bad news! A lot of what a student older than 16 years do are not known to their parents as under the law, we cannot tell their parents unless it is life threatening!
Nowadays, teaching is not just a job! You are a role model as well! My best satisfaction is when a student does well in some subject if not all of them. We always tell a student who talks too much that they will make a good lawyer! They find it very complimenting but we are actually a little sarcastic but usually they hardly figure that one out!
I know I have a lot of influence on the kids but parents also have to take the responsibility as well! If their children ask for help in any subject, they need to remember never to reply, "I don't know! I'm never good at it!" This negative reply will give their children the impression that it really does not matter because their parents got through life without knowing much so why should they bother?! So actually they are not setting a good example already! Then they expect their children to do well in that particular subject!!!
2 comments:
One of the worst job here is public school teachers. My friends told me it is not the children who are hard to deal with, a lot of times, it's parents.
They blamed it on teachers when both of them were not even home to take care of their kids.
In the US, you see both extremities, one side where they blame it all on teachers, the other they take education all on their own hands, (home school). We try to make a balance, we home school part time and let him go school part time. We think it is the best of both world. :).
My kido goes to school 3 days and I home school him 2 days :).
Jamy
I really admire families who homeschool their children. My experience so far is that homeschooled children are often very polite and very good natured. Once children start school, they pick up everything in school, both good and bad! Sigh.......
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