So............today I experienced my first parents' consultation from the other side of the fence. I say other side of the fence because I am or rather I have been accustomed to my mother going in to see my subject teachers and coming back with the report that nobody cared to see her. Of course this was because at the time I was a well-behaved student...note I said at the time..LOL

So anyway, I was only supposed to be observing. However, as I approached the room slated for History teachers, my co-op teacher bawl out "Yes! Come! U fi deya!" I acted dignified..."yes me fi deh ere", I thought...me a teacha to! LOL...so me haul up me chair and start lissen een...all to know se di man pass d baton an seh "Yes Ms. Findley, what can you say about this student?" and in no time, di man git up lef me. Me alla talk to parents of pikney whe me nuh teach...but little did the people dem know eeh? LOL! Am sure (hoping really) they were not that dunce!

Yes as I was saying, I saw a host of reactions of parents to their children's reports. I tell you, some of these parents amazed me. I wondered to myself "but if u kno u pikney problem, y u wait til u get report fi recognize se it was a problem?"

"So an so doesn't read and mi tiyad fi talk to him/her" was the most repeated phrase of the day! But as a parent you are aware of your child'sshortcomings. You are aware of the fact that your child does not read yet you expect them ..sorry...you expect the teacher to have worked a miracle such that the child could have passed the exam with flying colours?

As I told students to buckle down, I was tempted to tell parents to shape up! This one parent said, as we suggested ways of taking away privileges from her child (some of which are borderline luxury), she doesn't believe in taking away cell phones or IPODs or internet or anything for that matter. So madda wat u believe in den? What will your role be in ensuring the academic success of your child? And of course this student's performance was not anything to write home about....! On a much brighter note, however, I got full permission to wring off some pikney neck! Wooohoooo!

Granted, some students are a pleasure to work with regardless of their academic performances. Some of them are very well-mannered and some are very personable while some could care less or rather...they could give a rat's ass! That's the reality. And as I spoke through the course of the day I gave greater validation to what I have always said...Teachers alone cannot mold students. Parents have a part to play. And that's how I see it from the other side of the fence.