Are parents leaving their role to teachers?
Oct 01, 2012
Raising children today has become more challenging due to the pressures of a demanding life. Parents are busier, looking for money to pay bills and failing to create time to raise their children.
Raising children today has become more challenging due to the pressures of a demanding life. Parents are busier, looking for money to pay bills and failing to create time to raise their children. They are sending them off to school with barely any skills and leaving it all to the teachers, writes Stella Naigino
When she set out to join a nursery school as a teacher, Catherine Namwera’s obsession was to play with the childrens. Little did she know that she would end up mentoring in their early stage of education.
“I could not believe it when a three-year-old child failed to feed herself. All they did was leak their fingers,” laments Catherine Namwera.
“Before you notice it, another one soils their clothes and keeps quiet, possibly because they fear to talk. The fear of talking probably comes from parents failing to teach them the simple communication skills or potti/toilet use. But as a teacher, you are expected to fill in this gap and train them.
You might have one child who is more violent or notorious, frequently attacking other children and provoking them. This portrays how the parents have neglected the child’s social behaviour. As teachers, we are expected to contribute to their moral grooming, but even the parents are expected to teach them the basics.”
Namwera graduated with a diploma in nursery teaching at YMCA.
She wanted to become a secondary teacher, but due to lack of funds, she opted for nursery teaching.
Namwera now owns a daycare centre and has realised that dealing with infants is not only about playing with them, but rather mentoring them since most parents seem to be too busy for their children.
Parents speak out
Rosemary Bwire, a parent, says children need to be reminded about almost everything they do in life, so helping them in their home work is a parent’s responsibility.
When they are joining school they do not know what they want, but with the help of a parent and a teacher, they slowly begin to discover why they are in school, which works to their advantage, she reveals.
Bwire advises parents to participate in parents’ meetings and trainings and always assist with classroom activities.
Teachers speak out
According to Lucy Nanyanzi, the head teacher of Kampala Kindergarten, a job description of a nursery teacher includes having the ability to build good relationships with children, parents and colleagues.
She says being committed to your work, coupled with the ability to work in a team and with excellent communication skills, is very important because children need to understand you.
Patience and a good sense of humour help one deal with the challenging behaviour of children.
“Parents have left it all to teachers to the extent that even when home work is given to the children, parents do not help them do it. They do not seem to care about what takes place in their children’s school life,” Nanyanzi notes.
She adds that even when they are meant to sign in the books to show that they checked their children’s work, some persistently ignore to do so.
In today’s globally changing world, early child education has become such an important issue although most parents take it lightly, notes Nanyanzi.
“They think in early stages of learning, children just play. But the sensory, social and reasoning development are vital for the earliest stages a child undergoes before embracing any form of education,” asserts Nanyanzi.
She says the pre-school infant needs more attention on language, social skills, sex roles and normal social development like greeting and appreciating. However, some parents are misinformed that they are rushing their toddlers by teaching them these skills early. They think these skills are meant for a later stage in life.
“Children are sometimes sturbborn or resistant. but a parent should persist and be the first teacher,” Nanyanzi says.
Martin Isagala, the head teacher of City Parents Primary School, agrees with Nanyanzi, saying today parents prefer to have teachers or maids as the main actors in giving the first bit of education, yet not all of them have what it takes to shape a child to the parent’s expectations.
“Primary school children look at school as their major occupation. Learning becomes an activity largely directed by other people. This is a period of intense activity in many spheres, including intellectual, social emotional and moral development, where parents need to greatly give a hand,” Isagala says.
He adds that children learn from parents through observation and direct interaction. If parents talk to children early, they form that part of the character that helps them recognise the importance of speech and interaction with others.
Children enjoy talking to their parents
Steven Langa, a counsellor and director of Family Life Network in Nakasero, says however busy the parents are, their participation in their child’s early education sets the stage for continued involvement in the school environment and sends a message to the child that education is valued and important.
He reveals that the attitude a parent has towards learning determines how the child responds to school. Some parents take serious disciplinary measures like spanking their children for not wanting to go to school.
He advises parents to read with their children as well as engaging in activities such as arts and crafts while at home.
It is vital for you to spend time playing with your child to support their social and emotional development, Langa notes.
He adds that children enjoy talking and interacting with their parents. Once ignored, it affects their social being. So, talk with your child about their day at school or home. You will find out so many things that your child knows and does not know.
“Go through your child’s work whether an infant or a teenager and try to find out what they understand most and what they do not. This helps you know your child’s weak points and strengths, which gives an opportunity to help them without necessarily leaving everything to teachers,” Langa stresses.