#SoCS September 30-17 – do/dew/due #SundayBlogShare #teacherappreciation

30 Sep 2017 54 Comments

by Ritu in #SoCS, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Linda’s #SoCS prompt this week, hosted by Dan Anton of No Facilities blog!

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “do/dew/due”. Use one, use two or use all three. If you start and end with two of them, you get bonus points. If you use all three AND start and end with two of them, you get Linda’s bonus points plus, I’ll match hers – from me to you. And, lest we all forget – Enjoy!

 

Do you ever really thank the teachers of your children?

Are you really fully aware of what an educator, especially nowadays, has to do, over and above the basics of teaching a child to read and write?

I am writing this, (not so) fresh after an absolutely crazy week, filled with crowd control, rather than interaction, being bitten, listening to children use in inappropriate hand gestures and language, trying to teach them how to listen, use manners (please and thank you – forgotten words!), coping with children who have absolutely no respect for their elders, instead, laughing in your face when you are trying to explain to them that they are doing something wrong, and trying to give children who have NO CLUE about English a few words to help them settle in. And these children are all three!

Surely, before you send your child off to a place of learning, you would want to ensure that, unless there are special needs, your child has the basic etiquette of knowing how to listen for a short while at least, a few simple manners, and some understanding of sharing?

Like a plant needs the morning dew to quench it’s thirst from the night, in order to grow stronger, children need a stable foundation of good social behaviour before going to nursery or school.

An I wrong in thinking that that is something that is meant to be given to them at home, so they are able to learn as they come to us?

Instead, we spend the lion’s share of the time, trying to teach socially acceptable behaviour, and anything academic gets chucked out of the window. Then as the year comes to an end, we are questioned as to why children aren’t already writing their names/able to count to 10/trying to read words… Well, sorry, but if the majority of man power we have is being used to stop tantrums and fisticuffs, getting down to the nitty-gritty of ‘teaching’ is a tad hard!

And I truly feel for the children whose parents have instilled good ethics into them.  Those who can’t be given the attention they truly deserve, because we have to try and give the others the skills they haven’t acquired at home!

We do try to. Of course we do. If I had a majority of children with at least these basics, then I could really do what I want, which is to give them a solid foundation to their educational career. Instead it is a minority, I’m afraid.

And then, this continues to be a problem if we are trying to teach children values at school, and they are not reinforced at home.

Sometimes it feels like we are fighting a losing battle.

So, I ask again, have you recently thanked your child’s teacher?

If you haven’t I think you need to go and give them their due!

 

SoCS badge 2017-18

I think I deserve Bonus points and MORE this week!!!! Phew!

 

54 Comments (+add yours?)

  1. Adventures of a New Floridian
    Oct 02, 2017 @ 05:52:49

    This is so frustrating! I used to teach an after school club for middle schoolers and various clubs/camps/classes for elementary through middle school, and it just doesn’t get better! Most of the kids are rude and have no respect for their elders or for other kids. It can be very difficult to handle. I hope that eventually parents will start to realize once more the importance of politeness and manners!

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. Ritu
    Oct 01, 2017 @ 21:05:30

    Bless you and thank you for that faith Esme ❤

    Like

    Reply

  3. Claire Saul (PainPalsBlog)
    Oct 01, 2017 @ 18:07:32

    Having been an EYFS governor for some time, I so get it…. I really notice a change since my eldest (now 21) started nursery – both in the kids and in the expectation & paperwork placed on teachers….well done you, for hanging in there. EY has to be the underpinning of education and to my mind the most important! x

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. cookandenjoyrecipes
    Oct 01, 2017 @ 16:08:31

    As mentioned in another post, wish you were closer to teach here in Vancouver, Canada

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. Lisa Orchard
    Oct 01, 2017 @ 13:40:27

    Teachers are definitely underpaid and overworked. Kudos to you, Ritu for sticking with it. I hope things are better for you next week.

    Liked by 1 person

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  6. angelanoelauthor
    Oct 01, 2017 @ 13:20:06

    Parents own teaching children respect and setting the stage for building strong character and integrity. Teachers own adding the skills and knowledge for lifelong learning. I hate hearing that teachers suffer at the hands of little tyrants. I do thank my son’s teachers but very likely not enough–never enough. Thanks for the reminder and for sharing your own experience.

    Liked by 1 person

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  7. Marje @ Kyrosmagica
    Oct 01, 2017 @ 12:42:28

    I think teaching kids respect for their teachers and elders is a great way to go Ritu. My daughter is loving TEFL abroad in S.Korea but I wonder how she will feel if she comes back to teach kids here? I reckon it will be a totally different ball game! Happy Sunday, hope you are having a lovely relaxing day. xx

    Liked by 1 person

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  8. Gloria
    Oct 01, 2017 @ 11:15:18

    Gosh Ritu that sounds tough. I’m gobsmacked! I can’t believe you have to put with that kind of behaviour from 3 year olds. I’d be mortified if my kids ever behaved like that anywhere, especially in school.

    Liked by 1 person

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  9. OIKOS™-Redaktion
    Oct 01, 2017 @ 10:52:50

    Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.

    Liked by 1 person

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  10. Monster Mermaid
    Oct 01, 2017 @ 09:51:52

    I have quite a few teacher friends and they have more than a few hair raising stories…it sounds like an exhausting job, I don’t know how you do it.

    Liked by 1 person

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  11. theslippedink
    Oct 01, 2017 @ 09:46:42

    Interesting commentary about the side of teaching people don’t expect. Know a fair few teachers who feel the same way.

    Liked by 1 person

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  12. Littlethings
    Oct 01, 2017 @ 02:16:42

    I agree with you,home is the first school of a child and parents are their first teacher,it’s not the complete duty of teachers only.its the duty of both.but after reading your this post I thank all my teachers who put so much efforts on us…..But no doubt I was a good student also with stable foundation of good social behaviour,thanks to my parents for that😊..

    Liked by 1 person

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  13. joey
    Oct 01, 2017 @ 00:39:53

    SUCH a needed commentary these days. So unfortunate. No, I suspect that no one cares what you have to deal with because they’re paying you. That’s the attitude of the kind of parent who sends off those kinds of kids. Pitiful that people think being indulgent and negligent is a good balance.
    It’s different when people cannot, but many people can and choose not to.
    I have done it on both sides, just like you, so I know. I still see it, from the mommy side — and I’ve long heard about it from the children. The shocking things kids will say to teachers these days. Just such a mess.
    BUT there are people like you who put in the time and effort to show children a different way of living, and you do it remarkably well, and that is why you’re a teacher. 🙂 On behalf of societies everywhere, thank you.

    Liked by 1 person

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  14. willowdot21
    Sep 30, 2017 @ 23:41:55

    Teachers, the keepers of of our future.🌹🌹

    Liked by 1 person

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  15. wendyj59
    Sep 30, 2017 @ 17:50:31

    Well said. I have 2 DILs who are teachers and I have worked in education. Parents need to work with teachers but that’s hard if there are language or other barriers. And teachers need to be left to get on with their jobs and not have the government constantly interfering and moving the goalposts. Yes teachers need to be accountable but not just by producing end of year test results that meet arbitrary targets. I think that at 3 it’s more important that a child can communicate, be sociable and behave appropriately than show good writing/numeracy skills. If we don’t look after their emotional development we’re just storing up trouble for later years. You have my respect and admiration. Not a job I could do.

    Liked by 1 person

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  16. Erika Kind
    Sep 30, 2017 @ 14:19:26

    I admire every teacher – no matter which age of students they teach. I did not have the nerve to do it!

    Liked by 1 person

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  17. Reena Saxena
    Sep 30, 2017 @ 07:52:20

    Agree. But parents and teachers are going through a similar ordeal.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Ritu
      Sep 30, 2017 @ 07:57:45

      To an extent Reena but a parent is dealing with a few or even only one child and sometimes the child’s defiance comes from how we as parents have allowed them to react.
      As teachers we are dealing with 20-30 kids at once and when the majority are hindered by these social inadequacies, it makes our job as a teacher nigh on impossible.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  18. Judy E Martin
    Sep 30, 2017 @ 06:02:57

    I do understand how difficult it must be to be a teacher. I know my daughter was quite a handful at school despite me trying to instill good manners into her! She was at least, able to read very well for her age.
    Actually, it was thanks to the teachers at school that my daughter’s handwriting became legible. Up until she was about 8 or 9 she wrote in this weird kind of hieroglyphic style! I had never seen anything like it before, and despite my best efforts, I could not understand what she had written, not could I seem able to teach her to write legibly. The teachers at school had cracked it though, and now she has beautifully neat handwriting to be proud of!
    Sadly, the other side of school, the social side and behaviour, we are all still working on!!
    I know how hard you all work in guiding our children in so many ways, and I take my hat off to you. It is not a job that I could do!
    It a huge THANK YOU from me! 💖💖💖💖

    Liked by 1 person

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  19. robbiesinspiration
    Sep 30, 2017 @ 05:30:50

    I hear you, Ritu. We live in a very strange world where the right to education, which our ancestors fought so hard for, is now a grudge purchase by both the learners and their parents. There are rewards to teaching too though so you need to focus on the best parts. Hugs.

    Liked by 1 person

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