Elizma Vlok, a friend and teacher posted the following on her facebook page recently and I totally agree with the sentiment.
I become incredibly angry when parents expect teachers to “educate” their children …
I obtained a 4 year B.Ed. degree so that I can TEACH your child and yes, I am more than prepared to share life-lessons with them and to teach them life skills; to love them as if they are my own and to wipe their noses; to laugh and cry with them; to guide them in the right direction when they’ve made wrong decisions; to encourage them and to prepare them for life. I am more than prepared to be a good example for them, but … it is your job and your DUTY to teach YOUR child basic manners, so that I as a teacher can build on the strong foundation that you set through educating them. Stop placing the responsibility onto others in the hope that they will educate your child … and start doing what is expected of you as a PARENT!!!!!!!
The saying “it takes a village to raise a child” is as relevant today as it ever was, but it seems to me that we’ve become trapped in a vicious cycle. It’s becoming increasingly more difficult to survive in a competitive job market and parents are required to spend more and more time on work related tasks, unfortunately this often means that they spend less time with their children and unintentionally place more responsibility on teachers.
What I take away from this is that teachers are willing to help, they want to care for your children and be positive influences in their lives but they need your input at home. Parents play a primary role in their children’s education and teachers and parents need to work together to ensure that children get the most out of each educational opportunity.
This is very much a two way street and regular, effective communication with your child’s teacher is essential. What is it that you as a parent want your child’s teacher to understand?
Related articles:
The importance of parental involvement in children’s school achievement.
How parents can get more involved in their child’s education.
