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I have two daughters, one in 3rd grade and the other in 2nd grade, both in public school. I send them to public school because I want them to be exposed to a miniature society, with different conditions and backgrounds, and to have friends from different backgrounds, so that they can learn how to adapt and empathize with others.
And I learned so much.
Teaching and doing "accounting" at the same time
For three years now, I have been on the parent-teacher association for both classes. Only by joining the parent association can I feel compassion for the teachers, students, and parents, because there are many difficulties, and everyone has difficulties.
Being a teacher and a nanny is hard work.
Every night I review lessons for my two children, I feel miserable. As for her, she has to struggle with more than 30 children, teaching, taking notes, feeding and sleeping the children, listening to the children share, and also having to deal with school meetings and competition movements.
A teacher's salary still requires a lot of finesse. But she spends her own money to make covers for her children's notebooks, she decorates this, buys that to make the classroom more lively.
She hesitantly asked if the teachers needed to wash the children's sleeping mats and pillowcases, and if the parents agreed...
She bought candy for her children on Mid-Autumn Festival so they wouldn't feel sorry for each other in the other classes. Then she had to list the brand of cleaning supplies in the class publicly on the group chat...
How much time do you spend doing those "accounting" jobs? Where do you get the strength and mind to do your noble job properly?
To be able to take care of the class's activities, teachers must be more careful, keep the rules, and maintain the self-respect of the teaching profession. In the first step, they must ask for opinions and hold a vote in the class group, in the second step, they must ask for permission from the principal, in the third step, they must report to the parents...
So at the beginning of each year's parent-teacher meeting, I try to share what I see with my classmates' parents. To contribute a small gift on holidays, to help the teachers buy some teaching materials, some party gifts for the children.
Schools in small districts, more or less physical activity is difficult. Not everyone has the same conditions and that is also something parents need to learn.
There are times when the children are too hot, some parents mobilize the whole class to contribute to buy air conditioners, but if it is not 100% effective, we have to understand that if other people can stand it, the teacher can stand it, then our children can stand it too.
There are holidays that are not agreed upon in the year-end plan, so we organize them voluntarily and share.
Parents must be united and happy for their children to be united and happy. And to make every day at school a happy day for children, the cooperation of parents and the school is needed.
Is it "fun" to be a parent representative?
I was a member of the parent-teacher association for two children when I was in secondary school. It was not an easy job, literally "eating at home but taking care of the whole village".
When my son was in 6th grade, the class parent representative committee consisted of 3 female parents. After a while, there was a problem with collecting and spending the class fund, one of the parents quit, and I was "dragged" into it.
Many opinions say that the representative board is an "extended arm" of teachers and schools, which is not necessarily correct.
There are small things like buying flowers for teachers on November 20th, spending money to organize birthday parties for children..., all are posted on the group to ask for opinions.
The majority agree, only a few disagree, then we must mobilize and persuade, if they still disagree, we must stop implementing.
Not every teacher wants to interfere in the affairs of the parents' committee.
There are sensitive issues, if teachers directly discuss with each parent it will not be good, and if parents frankly refuse, it will also be embarrassing. In that case, it is necessary to go through a representative to ensure objectivity and make the discussion easier.
From school funds, class funds to air conditioners, curtains, eating, sleeping, increasing and decreasing students' hours..., if they cannot talk directly to the teachers, they all "call" the representative board. It is really time-consuming and stressful.
My older child is in 9th grade and my younger child is in 6th grade. I thought I had "escaped the danger" but unexpectedly I was once again "elected" to the parents' representative committee...
There were times when the class organized a trip, but the fund raised was not enough compared to the spending plan, so the head of the committee had to put in her own money to make up for it. The parents of the class suggested changing to a larger screen because the old TV was small and the image was blurry... The parents were divided in their opinions, and the head of the committee also put in her own money to sponsor...
There are indeed awkward situations of the "middle person", and the parent-teacher association needs to handle them tactfully.
Sometimes we have to reconcile between parents and teachers as well as the general policies of the school, the common goal is good for the children but sometimes some parents do not fully understand so there is a lack of sharing.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khi-phu-huynh-la-ban-dai-dien-ban-cha-me-hoc-sinh-trai-long-20241003093637296.htm
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