Elgin Taylor, Star Writer

I am forced to revisit this subject based on a matter which recently came to my attention. According to my source, a Grade One student accidentally ventured into the classroom of a neighbouring school and the teacher accommodated him for the day, though he harboured doubts that this student actually belonged to his six-week-old class.

Well, next morning he had a rude awakening when the mother of the child visited his school and gave him a fine bit of cursing for having taken away his child and in the process prevented him from attending his rightful school.

And, to compound matters, this most disrespectful conduct took place during the school's devotional exercise.

This parent, if she can be referred to thus, was most unreasonable. If anything, the teacher should have been commended for giving his wandering child accommodation on that day. It was she who abdicated her responsibility in not seeing to it that her child was taken to school on this particular day.

We can all appreciate the fact that she must have been given a shock when she discovered that the child was not at his school, but this is no justification for the unnecessary, uncouth manner in which she behaved.

Better progress

Teachers suffer this and similar atrocities regularly. However, throughout these infractions they all relish the thought and look forward to forging a closer relationship with the parents of their students.

Teachers are at one in their belief that students show better progress when the parents take a keen interest in their children's welfare. In fact some teachers posit that even when some parents do not understand their children's homework, they should pretend that they do.

Over the years several things have competed for the attention of the children, like parents becoming fixated on the 'bling' culture, and not fully appreciative of the importance of education.

In recent times for example, we have heard of the misuse by parents of funds accessed through PATH - the Programme for Advancement through Health and Education, and how the authorities were looking at ways to address this problem.

Parents and school organisations like the PTAs are always looking at ways to see how they can work together for better educational and social outcomes for the students.

Behavioural contract

There have been several initiatives over the past years which have been put forward to hold parents to greater accountability for the welfare of their children. These include having teachers act as supervisors to monitor the assistance given to children by their parents, and putting in place a behavioural contract.

The latter deals with the drafting a contractual document setting out the kinds of behaviours to be adhered to by students and sanctioned by their parents. The students' professional goals for a specific period also form part of this contract.

In cases where incentives are given, these will be taken away whenever a student or the parent fails to carry through an assigned task.

Questions, comments, observations? You may email me at elgin1225@yahoo.co.uk.