Parents-Teachers Communication

These are student handbooks from my children's school. I was reluctant to buy them at the beginning of this year because I thought they were a waste of money. However, this year, I had applied for free textbooks. My children's application was approved and this solve my problem.

The student handbook was meant to be a way of communication between the parents and teachers. Why do parents and teachers need to communicate? How can a teacher alone teach a class of so many pupils? It takes the co-operation of the parents to assist their children in their schoolwork as well, and not totally relying on the teacher alone. But how can the parent know anything if the teacher does not convey anything to the parents? In the past, there are no student handbooks. Teachers need to call up parents. Parents need to call up the schools and talk to teachers. This is very time consuming. So the school thought of this book, to solve the problems of teachers and parents communication system. Some teachers even give email address to parents nowadays. Still, some teachers, but rarely, give their handphone numbers to their students!

Regardless of the method, all we want is just to make sure that our children are serious in their school work -- do their homework, hand in their homework in time and learn their spelling, and be notified of important dates, important events and any accidents or injuries in school.

But things are not so easy. Having this book does not mean that problems are solved. Does the teacher take it seriously? Does the teacher know the importance of communication? Does the teacher really CARE in the first place? Well, I doubt so. I had called, I had written, and I had spoken to the teacher concerned, but it was no use. I shall dealt upon this in another post.



Ricsson's student handbook 2005



Ricsson's Student Handbook 2006


Clara's Student Handbook 2007

The student handbook is done very well, with a column for teacher/parents remarks and another column for students to write down their homework or important notes. Inside the handbooks are school rules, important formulas, planners, time-table and goals setting for the students.

I must say the previous teachers were good. They had urged the students to write down their homework in the students' handbook. They even ask the class to set goals prior to examinations. This teacher never fail to respond to me whenever I have any questions. She is responsible and her attitude is very good.

Things were not the same after a change of Principal at QiHua Primary School. The teachers that I come across ever since the change, were not as good as before. Students handbook was always 'empty' even though there were homework. I see my children's work sometimes not handed in, and at times the Chinese teacher even write in the Chinese Textbook to 'talk' to me -- telling me to 'supervise' my child's work.

No teacher ever write any remarks on the student handbooks when they needed to. I do not even know what the children's homework and spelling are and how am I supposed to guide them? When told the teacher about that, nothing was changed. She cannot be bothered about it. This is irresponsible and uncaring teacher who are paid their monthly salary whether or not they did a good job.