Partnering Teachers: Doing It The Right Way

“Your presence in school should be seen as a support. People should sense your genuine care for your child, other schoolmates and staff,” says Miss Leong Sou Cheng, an educator at an international school.

Miss Leong Sou Cheng, an educator at an international school, suggests how parents can support their child’s schools.

“Being involved in the school has given me a better insight into the school’s culture and policies, which some parents may not be as familiar with. It has also given me the opportunity to interact with school leaders, teachers, other staff and parents. I’ve also gained a better appreciation of teachers, their roles, difficulties and dedication to duty. My involvement in the school has certainly helped me to develop a better working relationship with them.”

Mdm Kannagi Ibrahim, Then-Chairman of Evergreen Primary School’s Parent Support Group

The squeaking wheel gets the oil; there is more than a ring of truth to this proverb. When it comes to parent-teacher partnership, your goal however, is not just to make your presence felt, but leave the right presence.

Parent-teacher collaboration is not about “kiasu” parents barging into the school office and making demands. Armed with the information they need, they march in with a very specific aim, usually result-oriented, and will not back down until the school gives in to their requests.

Needless to say, after one storm of an incident, the parent may leave quite an impression; the entire school may possibly know this parent and the child by name. Any mention of the name will cause a teacher pay double the attention and check doubly hard on matters concerning the child. A teacher attends to between 200 - 300 students each week, and in an average class of 30 – 40 students, it may seem like not bad idea to leave such an impression. At least the child is getting the attention. You only had to do it once and you would leave an ineffaceable impression. The trouble is, however, that the reputation sticks.

Will your child really benefit from your actions? I think that children will benefit tremendously from the way their parents model positive interactions with others in the school, and from the positive connections they make along the way to support their children’s educational experience.

Your presence in school should be seen as a support. People should sense your genuine care for your child, other schoolmates and staff, such as when you help out at school events and socialise comfortably with others. For example, I heard that parents of Westview Primary School supported a sandwich-making event held at school; children learned how to make sandwiches, and also witnessed how their parents reached out to support other children. Parents of Tampines Primary School provide a reading support programme to help small groups of readers develop literacy skills.

Aside from putting in time and effort, relationship building is probably one of the most vital and difficult skills to master. So I was heartened to hear about parents sharing their experiences and good practices with one another at a Parent Support Group (PSG) Conference. Parents can also participate in initiatives organised by PSGs and access resources shared on the MOE Facebook page and Schoolbag.sg, to understand more about effective partnership.

We are all different, and the dynamics of all partnerships will be different too. But with the same goal, and the right attitude, parents and teachers can close the gap and become strong partners in education. After all, it takes a village to raise a child.

The above article was first published on 15 May 2015 in  https://schoolbag.sg/story/partnering-teachers-doing-it-the-right-way

Pick Your Battles

“An education revolution can only happen if all stakeholders are involved,” says Miss Leong Sou Cheng, an educator at an international school.

Miss Leong Sou Cheng, an educator at an international school, shares from her experiences, how parents can help teachers build confidence.

Teachers, regardless of their experience, are defined by their attitudes which shape the way they teach in the classrooms. It is flawed and highly unfair to regard beginning teachers who are inexperienced as incompetent. Beginning teachers are not bad teachers; in fact, they are often positive, energetic, excited about their students, willing to learn and very inspiring. Parents tend to be skeptical about beginning teachers; they feel that the teachers are incompetent because of their lack of experience, but overlook other qualities that outshine experienced teachers who may sometimes feel jaded, unmotivated, and stuck in a rut. Consider their choice of teaching as a profession; they have a big heart for children, and they find the classroom a thrilling place to be. They have a classroom full of children, and every parent expects just as much as you.

Beginning teachers learn a lot from their mentors and colleagues, and they can also be nurtured to become better. Education concerns itself with developing people, and it is not just students we are interested in developing. As advocated by the Reggio Emilia philosophy of an interdependent relationship shared by children, parents, and teachers, the performance of a teacher can be greatly enhanced by the efforts of a parent. We all like a pat on our shoulders; just imagine how much motivation you would give, simply by complimenting a teacher on his or her influence on your child. There are many teachers who would bend over backwards for your child. When you meet one, be sure to applaud the teacher in person or even let the principal know.

There is something about parents that intimidate teachers, and set off alarm bells. It took me about five years to be comfortable around parents, and proactively reach out to them. . Fresh out of teachers’ college, and with no children of my own, I felt inadequate and out of place to be telling parents what they should do. Beginning teachers are not sure what to expect and may feel uncomfortable in such unfamiliar situations, especially in cases where multiple adults are pushing the blame and trying to gain dominance. With practice, and the right attitude of teacher-parent partnership, meetings would be less awkward and superficial. The goal of the partnership is to establish positive contact, and help each other support your child in school. It is not to absolve responsibility, or to win for the sake of pride.

The truth is, the relationship between parents and teachers is fragile and at times, can be difficult to manage; some teachers welcome dialogue with parents, others choose to avoid it because they feel threatened, which may stem from an understandable cause of concern. In general, teachers may choose to hide behind the stacks of worksheets, and avoid any real interaction with parents. Parents too, may not come their way. They would operate in peace, as long as nothing disrupts the delicate equilibrium. The lack of honest and genuine communication and the distance between parent and teacher is troubling as it is a potential breeding ground for hostility. Imagine the possible opportunities to team up that would be lost.

What you do as a parent can inspire tremendous confidence in teachers. It is a two-way traffic. Be sincere about your feelings so that teachers can be too. An education revolution can only happen if all stakeholders are involved. As a parent, you can take the lead, and start making the connection.

Do not be too hard on beginning teachers!

The above article was first published on 8 May 2015 in

https://schoolbag.sg/story/pick-your-battles

Heart to Heart Talk

Heart to Heart Talk (HTHT) features students having a frank chat about the future with their parents, mentors, and industry professionals.

Learn about how each of them discovered their interests and strengths, and how they hope to reach their career aspirations.

Episode 1 features primary school kids and their parents having a delightful, and sometimes surprising, chat about their aspirations. One of them hopes to be a teacher – but you’d never guess why!

Watch Episode 1 here.

In Episode 2, secondary school students talk with their parents about what they want to do in the future. Do these parents know their children as well as they think they do? Can they see eye to eye about what it means to succeed in life?

Watch Episode 2 here.

If you could meet your future self, what would you ask? In Episode 3, students meet up with professionals from the industries they hope to join in the near future, and get the lowdown on what the working world is really like.

Watch Episode 3 here. 

It can be scary trying to figure out what to do after secondary school. In Episode 4, Benjamin talks to 4 students who met mentors along the way – people who didn’t always know the right answers, but who knew the right questions to ask.

Watch Episode 4 here.

While having a mentor helped our 4 students see the path ahead, they have to walk the journey for themselves. In Episode 5, Benjamin finds out more about where they’re headed and the roadblocks they’ve faced along the way. Is there such a thing as “having it all figured out”?

Watch Episode 5 here.

En route, Onward

We’ve all had to make difficult choices in our lives. It’s not easy to figure out which education or career path to go on – and sometimes, even harder to convince our loved ones that we’ve made the right decision.

“En Route, Onward”, a 4-episode documentary series, tells the real-life stories of four remarkable individuals and their journey to success, defined in their own terms. 

Watch Episode 1 here.

Watch Episode 2 here.

Watch Episode 3 here.

Watch Episode 4 here.