A Page From Tomorrow

Sometimes I like to look at the "Referral" in my Sitemeter to see who has been reading my blog. I was surprised when someone had found my blog through my comments posted in http://tomorrow.com.sg I had responded on the issue of a teacher calling a student "idiot". If my readers have the time and would like to know what are the latest issues concerning Singapore, they can log in at the above website or at www.onlinecitzen.com It is fun to exchange viewpoints with other fellow readers.

September 05, 2006
Damned If You Teach, Damned If You Don't
» teaching
singaporeteach said:


The teacher can be totally destroyed. I am not talking about his career or performance bonus. His belief system would be shaken. He would go through an overhaul of his belief system which he has been brought up in. In his mind, teachers could be almighty in the class. Now, he has to take it that teachers are in vulnerable positions.

Recommended by cowboycaleb: "
In today's The New Paper, a teacher came into spotlight for writing the word "idiot" against a student's wrong answer. Of course as a parent, the child's mother kicked a fuss. She has the right. She complained to the principal. The principal has counselled the teacher. The teacher has apologised to the child and wanted to apologise to the parent. A session was arranged to let both parties meet up. However, the mother was too busy to turn up. The case has been referred to MOE by the mother. Obviously, the mother has raised the issue to the press too.
What would be the outcome/s?"

Link

Submitted by cowboycaleb on September 05//12:54pm and published by jseng, joy :: add new comment | 898 reads | trackback

Comments 17
during my young days... any bad comment from teacher/s shall nvr be known to my parent... else i will get another canning from my parent...
now ... kids parent storm to school to ask for apology... changing society...

what teacher need is not higher pay... but some professionals to help them to deal with the emotion of school kids and their parents...so they can concentrate on their teaching....
every "problematic" kid must be examine by professional children psychologist and handled professionally... and not left it to the poor teacher ... who are ill-equipped to deal with them....

250 millions $$ gone to waste again... and not tackling the root of the issues..

Posted by Anonymous Monkey* on 5 September, 2006 - 1:26pm

teaching has always been a one-directional job. giving and giving all the while, not getting anything in return. want to be a responsible disciplinarian, get scolded by parents for going overboard; bo chup alittle, and the school will get you removed. all boils down to the students' and parents' lack of communication and knowledge of a teacher's daily work.

-lance

Posted by Lance* on 5 September, 2006 - 6:22pm

I'd say let those protective parents sacrifice their own time and put in the much needed efforts to discipline their precious darlings. See if they can do a better job. Let them also declare that they have never lost their cool and spoken anything abusive to anyone before listening to their whining.

Posted by Anonymous** on 5 September, 2006 - 8:21pm

MOE almost always sides with the parents, so parents reciprocate by complaining. It's a fantastic system!

Posted by melvinyeo* on 5 September, 2006 - 9:11pm

It's not a matter of taking sides. It's a matter of everyone being on the same side, which isn't the case.

That is the loophole that many recalcitrant and pampered brats have exploited.

Posted by Anonymous** on 5 September, 2006 - 11:23pm

I dont think there is a need to get personal with the offensive word 'idiot' in the first place. If the teacher has problem with the student, talk directly and not going for personal attacks. And as for the mother, she herself gets personal too.

In the end, the first problem dont get solved but in turn brings up another one.

It is a challenging job to be a teacher, it requires all parties to get the job done... to educate the kids. The parents will need to play a bigger role working together with the teachers and not expecting the teacher to do their jobs.

Posted by paddytan on 5 September, 2006 - 9:23pm

Words... words.... we use words so carelessly. We scold people with words like "idiot, go and die, you're mad, etc." without realising that words are powerful for they affect listeners and recipients emotionally and spiritually. Some people think an idiot is a stupid person. An idiot is actually a feeble minded person having a mental age not exceeding three years and requiring complete custodial care.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am neutral.... but as a person who is fond of languages, it is very important for all of us to be watchful of our speech at all times. It is very hurting to call a child an idiot just because he is naughty or makes mistakes.
We should use positive words to encourage one another. Instead of telling a child he is fat and clumsy, why not say, if he could exercise more and cut down on fast food, he would look as trim and as strong as his daddy. As a man thinks, so will he be.

I was extremely poor in mathematics and I had never passed my Maths tests throughout Sec. One to Three. In Sec. Four, my maths teacher was the most excellent.... extremely patient and someone who explained with compassion and clarity. "There, see, you could solve the equation!", she would encourage. Due to this teacher, I managed to pass my mathematics papers for the first time!!

Parents who are quick to point a finger should also watch out for the four fingers pointing back at them. Sad to say, some parents are so busy earning $$$, they leave everything to the teachers and the school.

As Paddy Tan had rightly said, "It requires all parties to get the job done... to educate the kids."

Albert Einstein said, "It is essential that the student acquires an understanding of and a feeling for values. He must acquire a vivid sense of the beautiful and the morally good. Otherwise he, with specialized knowledge, more closely resembles a well-trained dog than a harmoniously developed person."

John F. Kennedy effectively summarised it when he said, "Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education".

Posted by Ganchau on 5 September, 2006 - 10:30pm

That's the root of the problem. I do not think that our society and educational system encourages all parties to work together for the good of the students. It is more likely for stakeholders to push the responsibilities to each other while guarding their own interests.

Parents expect the school to bring up their children while they pursue their careers. School management expect teachers to yield tangible results to bring honor to the school. Teachers pressure themselves to "perform" in order to be promoted. As a result, some lost sight of why they were there in the first place. Who really cares about the students?

Of course, it does not apply across the board. There are good parents, teachers and school leaders. But the problem is serious enough to warrant attention. As long as that problem is not solved, I doubt we will have any long-term solution. Higher salaries and perks alone will not solve the problem either. In fact, it may worsen the situation.

Ganchau, what you have described is the utopia I wish we were living in.

Posted by Anonymous** on 5 September, 2006 - 11:16pm

Dear Anonymous, I had once asked papa whether there was really an utopia on earth. My late father replied, "Child, an utopia can only be created in your head. Happiness is all in your mind. You can choose to be happy and contented with simple things in life. If you depend on others... the government, teachers, friends, etc. to make you happy.... susah lah! A Nepali sleeping on the mud floor of his little house could be happier than a millionaire sleeping on the mattress of his mansion."

When I first started teaching English and Literature in a top school, some students and even my HOD were unhappy with my teaching and marking style!! I told myself I would never teach in the traditional way! English and Literature for life.... not just for passing the O levels. After one and a half years, my first batch of O level students produced good results.... only then did my HOD relent. English for thinking creatively; English for problem solving. As a man thinks, so will he be. So often people like to say, "I am only joking lah!" Yet, out of the mouth, speaks forth what is in the heart.

I recently met an ex-student whom I could not quite recognize for she has grown into a beautiful young lady. She shared with me how her father became a bankrupt; how she struggled with college. The family, despite the crisis, bonded even more closely together. She shared how she wanted to give up, but remembering David, in "I am David" a book she studied in Sec. 2 Literature, gave her courage. She also remembered some of the stories I shared with them. The world is a stage, and she realised, that as an actress, she must play her part, and play it well. It is up to her to create her own "utopia".

Ok. I better stop here before readers find me too "loh soh" - long-winded lah. :-)

Posted by Ganchau on 6 September, 2006 - 8:04am

I am sure we all have a personal utopia in our own minds. But we are not alone in this world. One man's utopia maybe another man's junkyard. And when each stakeholder in the education system sees only his/her own utopia, it's difficult to work for the common good.

The utopia I am referring to is a common shared vision where everyone is willing to sacrifice a part of his own utopia and contribute to a larger community for the sake of its beneficiaries.

Tell me, is that possible?

Posted by Anonymous** on 6 September, 2006 - 3:21pm

Its possible under a monarchy where one man's utopia is imposed upon the population. But I suspect that few of us really want that day to come anytime soon
-
`We must encourage those who earn less than $200 per month and cannot afford to nurture and educate many children never to have more than two`

Posted by visceral on 7 September, 2006 - 4:28pm

How is it that a parent can scold the child "idiot" but not the teacher?

Posted by lelearn* on 7 September, 2006 - 2:55am

Believe me, some students even scold their parents in the presence of the teacher.

Posted by Anonymous** on 7 September, 2006 - 3:04pm

Not all parents scold their child with the word "idiot". The parents in question obviously didn't. Which is probably why they were so indignant.

Anyone cares to respond to the "Utopia" that Annonymous has in mind? I guess it is not possible or communism would have thrived; parents and children would not fight; siblings would not quibble over inheritance; colleagues would not play politics in the office; nation would not war against nation and Jesus would not have to die on the Cross, etc. etc.

Hence, I am contented with the "Utopia" in my little mind. "God, give me the grace and peace to accept the things I cannot change; and courage to change the things I can". :-)

Posted by Ganchau on 7 September, 2006 - 11:47am

Perhaps that's why it's called utopia.

Posted by Anonymous** on 7 September, 2006 - 3:12pm

I don't agree with what the teacher has done but he has already swallowed his pride and apologized. I think the parent is unforgiving and going too far unless it has been established that the child had been unduly victimised.

Posted by Anonymous** on 7 September, 2006 - 3:23pm

Ganchau,
You have spoken it well.
After reading your few comments, I am impressed by your broad-minded views and the insights you have. I can also see that you are indeed a language person and you are powerful in words too.
As for me, I'm a Mathematics person. I like maths and never fail my maths before.
Whereas my English was only having average grades.
Therefore, I only teach Maths and Science.
Similarly, I don't believe in using insulting words either purposely or out of anger or frustration. I believe everyone can do well in their school work. I believe as long as you are willing to work hard, things will turn out fine.
At the same time, the student will need lots of encouragement and support from the adults around him/her and not criticism or belittling.

Posted by wisdom* on 19 November, 2006 - 1:52am