I know the important role school, teachers, and even friends play in a child’s academic life, but if you ask me, I think the bigger responsibility is on parents, siblings, family, and the home. I say this because of my own experience, but let me skip that and tell you all something I heard today.
My mom was on a call for about 30 minutes, and at a point, I got worried because she never talks for more than 10 minutes on the phone except when it’s family. And she also sounded angry, so that raised my concern.
According to what she told me, one of her students who got promoted to another class wasn’t doing well in class, and instead of her parents talking to her class teacher, the dad went to report to the headmaster that the teacher wasn’t doing her job well.
My mom got involved because she was the one who promoted the kid to that class, and she even said that when the girl was in her class, she was always first in exams, so she didn’t understand.
When the class teacher heard that the dad had reported her to the headmaster, she got so angry and submitted the kid’s attendance report. And that showed that after she got promoted, she was mostly absent. When the dad got confronted, he explained that the child was sick during those days and that was when the issue escalated.
The teacher now asked the dad if he knew that classes had been going on even in the absence of his daughter, and he replied in the affirmative. She then asked if he had been helping the kid study at home, and that was when he said he didn’t think it was his responsibility to do that.
That actually made them realize the cause of the kid’s academic problems. So for all those days that she wasn’t coming to school, nobody was helping her to study at home. And since she’s been away for so long, she couldn’t even remember the things she learned in her previous class.
I felt a little sad after hearing that the dad actually thought he had no responsibility to play in her kid’s academic life. But then remembering how he blamed the teacher made me a little angry too.
Sometimes, I wish people knew that school isn’t the only thing that plays a role in their kids’ academic life. It’s rather unfortunate that people think otherwise. Many parents think since they are paying school fees, their kids’ teachers are solely responsible for the academic well-being of them.
I don’t have a background in early childhood education, but the little I’ve learned from my mom makes me know that the way it’s easier for kids to learn new things is also the same way it’s easier for them to forget the moment that thing is out of sight for a while. I hope a lot of parents begin to understand this and start doing their part at home.
Images are mine
