Parents, do you know your child’s weaknesses?
31st October 2004
Imagine somebody telling you your child’s weaknesses. How would you feel? Would you still love the person?
Imagine somebody telling you your child’s weaknesses. How would you feel? Would you still love the person?
The truth is, parents are so attached to their children that many are not ready to absorb any negative evaluation against their children, however, objective it might be.
The fastest way to lose a parent’s confidence is to mention their child’s weakness. Very few parents would receive censorship over their children objectively. This level of sensitivity towards objective criticism grossly affects teacher-parent communication.
Sometime back when I was a class teacher I had an interesting encounter with a parent.
“How is my daughter doing these days, any improvement?†a parent asked me.
“She can perform better if she takes her work seriously. Of late she has become a bit careless with her work,†I answered. The father’s face instantly turned from a broad smile to a grim frown.
“Before you talk about my girl’s seriousness, how serious are you as a teacher?†he hit back.
Sense immediately dawned on me. I had forgotten to package my response appropriately by telling the parent the actual truth rather than what he wanted to hear. Many parents are shocked when end of term examinations reveal weaknesses they previously did not know in their children. Must you wait for the terminal exam to reveal to you what your child is?
-Feedback from a teacher is the foundation of effective teacher-parent relationship.
-An objective feedback should reveal all the strengths and weaknesses of the child. Your child is not an angel. Every human being must have some weaknesses.
-No reasonable teacher has malice against the child. The teacher’s feedback is for the benefit of your child. Defending the child’s weaknesses does not help him/her to improve.
-Did you know that many parents prefer being told what they want to hear? Teachers too have learnt the art of ‘packaging’ the ‘right’ information for parents during visiting days. This lack of transparency cripples the child’s learning.
-If you protect your child excessively, you risk ruining his/her personality development.
-Treat teachers as fellow human beings and always try to find something to appreciate in their work. Use questions like, “Is there anything I could do to help my child improve?†Or “How best can we help the child overcome this weakness?â€
Do you believe like many parents, that your child’s weakness reflects your own weaknesses? Till next week.
jwagwau@newvision.co.ug
077-63103
The truth is, parents are so attached to their children that many are not ready to absorb any negative evaluation against their children, however, objective it might be.
The fastest way to lose a parent’s confidence is to mention their child’s weakness. Very few parents would receive censorship over their children objectively. This level of sensitivity towards objective criticism grossly affects teacher-parent communication.
Sometime back when I was a class teacher I had an interesting encounter with a parent.
“How is my daughter doing these days, any improvement?†a parent asked me.
“She can perform better if she takes her work seriously. Of late she has become a bit careless with her work,†I answered. The father’s face instantly turned from a broad smile to a grim frown.
“Before you talk about my girl’s seriousness, how serious are you as a teacher?†he hit back.
Sense immediately dawned on me. I had forgotten to package my response appropriately by telling the parent the actual truth rather than what he wanted to hear. Many parents are shocked when end of term examinations reveal weaknesses they previously did not know in their children. Must you wait for the terminal exam to reveal to you what your child is?
-Feedback from a teacher is the foundation of effective teacher-parent relationship.
-An objective feedback should reveal all the strengths and weaknesses of the child. Your child is not an angel. Every human being must have some weaknesses.
-No reasonable teacher has malice against the child. The teacher’s feedback is for the benefit of your child. Defending the child’s weaknesses does not help him/her to improve.
-Did you know that many parents prefer being told what they want to hear? Teachers too have learnt the art of ‘packaging’ the ‘right’ information for parents during visiting days. This lack of transparency cripples the child’s learning.
-If you protect your child excessively, you risk ruining his/her personality development.
-Treat teachers as fellow human beings and always try to find something to appreciate in their work. Use questions like, “Is there anything I could do to help my child improve?†Or “How best can we help the child overcome this weakness?â€
Do you believe like many parents, that your child’s weakness reflects your own weaknesses? Till next week.
jwagwau@newvision.co.ug
077-63103