Monday, March 5, 2012

Stay in contact, teachers and parents

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How many parents know the names, telephone numbers and email addresses of their children's school principals and class teachers? At a guess, not more than 10 per cent has the particulars.

   By rights, such details should be listed and displayed on notice boards. Responsible, caring parents should not hesitate to ask for them.

   For transparency and accountability, even the particulars of school counsellors, discipline teachers and chairpersons of Parents-Teachers Associations should be made known to parents.

   The normal reaction is: Why bother? In times of need or emergency, however, parents are anxious to contact key people in school.

   Communication between parents and teachers is vital. With the particulars in hand, parents can get in touch with principals and teachers to enquire about the children's behaviour and academic progress. 

   Should a mishap occur, parents can promptly call class teachers to ascertain the situation. They will surely want to find out whether their children are injured, given first aid or rushed to a hospital. It can be a life-and-death case.

   Useful contacts


   At the moment, some parents meet their children's teachers at an annual PTA meeting or year-end report card assessment. They call on the principals only when their children's mobile phones are confiscated.

   If PTAs are far-sighted, they will include officials from the Ministry of Education or state education department on their committees. These officials should also be invited to PTA meetings. 

   Alas! Communication between teachers and parents is kept to a minimum. They usually meet when an event reaches a crisis stage or when parents want to lodge complaints.

   The ministry can play a more effective role by making it compulsory for all schools to circulate lists of useful contacts to parents. It can further have suggestion boxes installed for students and parents to convey their ideas and appeals. Students or parents can also report cases of drug-taking and gangsterism.

   Essential communication tool


   With the ban on the students' use of mobile phones, it becomes more imperative for teachers to communicate with parents. The two parties should exchange views on issues such as how to prevent thefts, what improvements can be made and why the students are performing badly.

   Like the house phone and the Internet, a mobile phone has become an essential and beneficial communication tool. Under strict supervision and on the condition that they are switched off, students should be allowed to carry their mobile phones in school.

   Some students keep their mobile phones in lockers until recess time or after school break. In many instances, lockers are ripped apart by thieves or vandals. Public telephones installed on the school premises are sometimes damaged. In an emergency, students are unable to reach their parents.

   In the age of new technology and modern communication, there ought to be well-thought-up avenues for parents to interact with teachers. They should regularly interface via email or SMS, if not by phone.

   The communication lines are accessible. However, parents and teachers do not stay in touch. 



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