5.5 Teacher Interviews
5.5.3 Theme 3: Barriers to involvement
Parent interviews indicated that when parents are more involved in their children’s schooling discipline problems are alleviated.
5.5.4 Theme 4: Improvement of parent involvement a) Support programs
b) Empowering parents
5.5.1 Theme 1: Partnership
a) Parent teacher relationship
All teachers indicated that there should be a relationship that exists between the teacher and the parent. Teachers felt that parents need to visit the school regularly in order to understand their child better.
Mr Nadioo indicated:
“We do not see parents often enough to discuss the child’s progress”
Mrs Duma stated:
“A child sometimes spends five years in school and the parent never attends a single meeting or visits the school”
Mr Govender stated:
“Generally the parents that do visit the school are the parents of the children that do not give the school any problems”
Mrs Chetty indicated:
“I have seen parent’s at most once a year or when a problem arises”
The teacher interviews indicated that teachers do not meet parents as often as they would like to in order to discuss school. It was also
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evident that teachers need to meet certain parents more regularly in order to discuss discipline matters and learners performance.
b) Communication with Parents
Interviews clearly revealed that communication between the teacher and the parent will foster effective partnerships that are very important for improvement in education (c.f. 2.6.1.1).
Mrs Chetty indicated:
“Communicating with the parent can build a relationship of trust and parents can be well informed about all aspects of their child’s progress at school”
Mrs Duma stated:
“Parents are important stakeholders in the education process and need to be informed of changes that take place in school and through regular visits and communication with the teachers they can develop a better knowledge.”
Mr Naidoo stated:
“Very often we send letters home to parents but parents never receive these letters. Maybe we need to send messages through the cell phone.”
Teachers felt that communicating with the parent will assist in building relationship with the parent and thus improving the child’s overall development in the school.
5.5.2 Theme 2: Role of Parent
According to the teacher interviews, the parent’s role in the school is extremely important. Of the six teachers interviewed 5 felt that the role of the parent should not be underestimated but valued. The one teacher 107
felt that parents should not have a say in all aspects of schooling as they would manipulate certain situations.
Mr Govender indicated:
“Sometimes parents do not understand their role and step in the role of the teacher and this can create conflict.”
Mrs Pather indicated:
“Considering that the parent component is the largest in the school governing body we need to respect and discuss issues with parents so conflict situations do not arise.”
Children will benefit from a parent’s involvement greatly as long as there is no conflict between parents and teachers. Some important factors that emerged from the interview that could prevent this kind of conflict are policies, assessment and parent contribution in the classroom.
a) Policy Making
Teachers believed that parents need to be more actively involved in the policy making at school. Teachers agreed that when parents are part of the policy then there is lesser conflict when the policy is implemented.
Mr Naidoo indicated:
“When parents are part of a policy then they teach their child to adhere to the policy and understand the measures taken when the policy is not adhered to.”
Mrs Duma stated:
“Parents viewpoints must be considered when policies are drawn if the school wants to work in partnership with the parent”
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It was clear that teachers believed that parents are important stakeholders and all policies should be drawn with parents.
b) Assessments
Teachers indicated that if parents are given a program of assessments then they become part of their child’s testing program. Parents can monitor and record their child’s achievement .
Mrs Ndelu indicated:
“A program of assessment indicating all learning areas must be given to the parents at the beginning of the school year so that parents can also schedule themselves according to the child’s school work.”
Mr Naidoo stated:
“The parent will feel part of the assessment if he assists his or her child and will want his or her child to perform at the best.”
The teacher interviews indicated that parents will feel proud of themselves when their child performs well because they have been part of the assessment (c.f. 2.6.1.4).
c) Contribution to school
Teachers indicated that parents can make important contributions to the classroom.
Mr Naidoo stated:
“Relief teaching can be done by a parent”
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Mr Govender indicated:
“Parents have certain talents and skills that can assist the teacher during a lesson and parents can participate in the lesson and make it more interesting”
Teacher interviews also indicated that certain parents can offer the school services e.g. testing of eyes of learners; advice on pregnancy.
Learners, educators and parents can benefit from parent’s contribution in the classroom.
5.5.3 Theme 3: Barriers to involvement
a) Lack of interest
Teachers indicated that many parents do not contribute to the school because they just don’t care.
Mrs Chetty stated:
“Parent’s do not take responsibility for their children’s education and display an attitude of apathy.”
Interviews with the teachers revealed that parents just did not care about their children’s work. Some parents do not even bother to sign the term end report that indicates the child’s progress for that term. It was also discovered from the teacher interviews that some parents in this school did not even know the grade of the child. Teachers also indicated that parents did not know that their child was repeating the grade. Teachers did emphasize that parents lacked sufficient time to involve themselves in regular meetings at school. This is especially the case in this community due to demanding working conditions and single parent households.
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b) Lack of Knowledge
Teacher interviews revealed that many parents could not read or write.
Mrs Pather stated:
“I believe that parents stay away from school because they are intimidated by the teacher”
Mr Naidoo stated:
“Parents lack knowledge of the curriculum and this makes it difficult for them to assist their child in homework”
Mrs Duma stated:
“Lack of knowledge cannot be equated with lack of interest”
Teachers did indicate that although parents may lack knowledge they can provide their children with support and care. The poor literacy level is a major barrier to parent involvement in this area (c.f. 2.4.1.4)
c) Socio Economic Factors
The area that was investigated faces a major crisis of poverty.
Teachers indicated that the socio economic background of the parents also contributes to them not visiting the school regularly.
Mrs Ndelu indicated:
“Parents are so caught up with their circumstances that education is the least of their worries”
Teacher interviews revealed that many children come from very poor homes and their parents are more concerned with ensuring that there is meal on the table at the end of the day and as a result school becomes the least of their problems.
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