Parent-Teacher Dialogue
Just barely a year ago, i was sitting in and trying to make myself useful as my colleague confered with parents of the crappies. now i would be seen as a school ambassador as i handle parents on my own. i'm not so sure whether i'm up to it yet. haha. change-it is relentless.
thank goodness the parents of P30-ers turned out to be all right. i had pushed aside some mental scenes that threatened to consume my consciousness and make me nervous--those of bratty parents throwing hissy fits and demanding to know the rationale for long study hours, high retain rate, the poor perception of YJC in the public's eyes, why their children are forced to go dragonboating on a curriculum day, why Mr Heng you gave so little homework
it's impossible to please everyone. but i'm coming to the realisation that it's part and parcel of the job--juggling conflicting expectations. show students High School Musical and risk parents calling to complain why the English tutor is showing them frivolous stuff. give students comprehension passages and steel yourself for their apathy.
nice guys finish last. haha
okay, this is when i'm quite grateful for my proficiency in Mandarin since i was able to explain the information sheet to some parents without pausing too much for thought. this especially, when my CDW rep was hovering around and sniggering, amused by the sight of her CT trying to establish harmonious relationships with her classmates' parents. haha
i also felt a pang of guilt when i spoke for 5-10 mins or so before belatedly realising that this parent doesn't quite understand Mandarin. not that it's my fault that i don't know how to speak Hokkien but wah say, she come down all the way to school and receive nothing from this linguistically-challenged form teacher. oh man.
when i thought the event was about to come to an end and was agonising over a splitting headache, the parents of one ex-student came to see me, wanting to hear my advice on whether she should either cut her losses or continue to stay on the jc route
the sight of them walking briskly away in order to consult another tutor at the end of our discussion was one of the most heartwrenching moments in my career so far. trapped in the confines of school, i have come to accept this commonplace reality of being retained. but it would not be exaggerated to say that the world has fallen apart for these parents
i sensed the pain and helplessness in their demeanour. their understanding and maturity not to blame their child in spite of failure. and their quiet determination to stay strong and do their best for her
it's amazing-this unconditional love
Just barely a year ago, i was sitting in and trying to make myself useful as my colleague confered with parents of the crappies. now i would be seen as a school ambassador as i handle parents on my own. i'm not so sure whether i'm up to it yet. haha. change-it is relentless.
thank goodness the parents of P30-ers turned out to be all right. i had pushed aside some mental scenes that threatened to consume my consciousness and make me nervous--those of bratty parents throwing hissy fits and demanding to know the rationale for long study hours, high retain rate, the poor perception of YJC in the public's eyes, why their children are forced to go dragonboating on a curriculum day, why Mr Heng you gave so little homework
it's impossible to please everyone. but i'm coming to the realisation that it's part and parcel of the job--juggling conflicting expectations. show students High School Musical and risk parents calling to complain why the English tutor is showing them frivolous stuff. give students comprehension passages and steel yourself for their apathy.
nice guys finish last. haha
okay, this is when i'm quite grateful for my proficiency in Mandarin since i was able to explain the information sheet to some parents without pausing too much for thought. this especially, when my CDW rep was hovering around and sniggering, amused by the sight of her CT trying to establish harmonious relationships with her classmates' parents. haha
i also felt a pang of guilt when i spoke for 5-10 mins or so before belatedly realising that this parent doesn't quite understand Mandarin. not that it's my fault that i don't know how to speak Hokkien but wah say, she come down all the way to school and receive nothing from this linguistically-challenged form teacher. oh man.
when i thought the event was about to come to an end and was agonising over a splitting headache, the parents of one ex-student came to see me, wanting to hear my advice on whether she should either cut her losses or continue to stay on the jc route
the sight of them walking briskly away in order to consult another tutor at the end of our discussion was one of the most heartwrenching moments in my career so far. trapped in the confines of school, i have come to accept this commonplace reality of being retained. but it would not be exaggerated to say that the world has fallen apart for these parents
i sensed the pain and helplessness in their demeanour. their understanding and maturity not to blame their child in spite of failure. and their quiet determination to stay strong and do their best for her
it's amazing-this unconditional love
posted by heng at 12:56 PM
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