Though it takes some time, parents must embrace the art of assessing their children’s work since it reflects what they have learnt.
A few parents, especially fathers, have very limited assessment of learners’ work, and being polygamists, they have surprised teachers by not even knowing the names of their children.
The first thing a serious parent should ask to see from a child after leaving school in the evening is books showing what was covered during the day.
Most parents are preoccupied with economic activities and have little or no time for additional assignments after their normal work schedule.
Surprisingly, even when asked how their children performed in the exams at the end of the term, they become strangers here.
What’s the essence of sending the child to school if we fail to follow up on their performance?
Some learners at different levels edit their results to show that they passed well, which can help them convince parents that they are working hard in school.
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The missing link here is that parents do not follow up on their children’s performance with the teacher and do not visit the school to establish their children’s weaknesses and strengths.
Further still, the class teacher sometimes asks some parents to come to school to resolve a disciplinary matter concerning their own children, but they never appear.
Parents must make it a tradition for their children to visit the school more often so that they can pass exams.
The learners would be put on check by always coming to school. This will go a long way in enhancing good performance and discipline.
Though teachers teach learners from rich and poor backgrounds, some parents are well-endowed with resources.
Some see teachers as petty, confused, beggarly, or stupid when summoned to school. Teachers, being who they are, remain pensive because they try to avoid unnecessary confrontation.
Teachers might not even have a bicycle or a car, but they have knowledge and focus.
Parents should not be too bossy to listen to teachers, however humble they may be. They might not have the best shoes or clothing, but they are crowned with the special duty of being teachers.
Let all parents realise that their children’s desired future lies squarely in the teacher’s arms, counsel, and direction.
Parents should look intently at their children’s books and ask teachers for clarification if they don’t understand.
Think of the teacher’s workload in a bulging class of about 100 learners. The teacher has to mark the books since, in the first place, sacrificially, it’s not the only class that the teacher administers.
As we asked in class, if we are lucky, one or two learners out of a group of 200 wish to be teachers.
Parents should monitor their children’s work daily and periodically monitor their termly and yearly performance so that learners can improve.
It’s wrong for parents to fail to look at learners’ books and report cards. This is certainly a recipe for failure.
Teachers are overburdened by classroom work, guidance, and counselling, and as such, parents’ input should accompany the teachers’ hard work.
Some learners lack simple writing materials, and the parents assume the teacher should teach.
School discipline is rife because teachers are burdened with everything, even the simplest roles that parents should do.
Unless the parents support the learning process, the teachers’ efforts to improve performance might not be fully realised.
By Hillary Muhalya
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