Singapore – A mum in Singapore shared her “disturbing” experience about a teacher who profusely apologised for a small mistake on her son’s scores, which made her question the teacher’s encounter with other parents.
On July 2 (Tuesday), the mother who handles the Facebook page ‘Nikteach Kids’ shared a phone call she had with her son’s teacher.
Knowing that her son could “be quite cunning, witty, and cheeky,” she was expecting a complaint “with an open mind.”
Instead, she got an apology from the teacher.
“And it wasn’t just a simple apology,” shared the mother.
The teacher repeated, “I am so sorry, I really really very sorry,” over seven times in their five-minute conversation, she recalled.
The teacher admitted that she made a small error in her administration recording of her son’s grade in p1.
The thing is, the teacher made a mistake, admitted it, rectified it, issued a new record, and personally called the parents to inform them of the situation, the mother wrote.
What the teacher said next caught the mother off-guard, “I understand if you are upset. I understand what happened shouldn’t have happened. As a parent myself, I know what appears on the slip is important. I know that end product matters. It is okay if you are angry.”
To this, the mother replied that the teacher was only human and mistakes were normal.
“And her voice shook, and I couldn’t tell if those were tears of relief or tears of sadness or tears of fears, but my tears fell because this isn’t how I want my son’s teacher to feel,” said the mum.
She repeated that she accepted the teacher’s apology, and that the mistake was taken care of.
Upon hanging up the phone, she added, “I hope the parents don’t give you a hard time.”
“I hope they are as nice as you,” replied the teacher.
“From here, I knew she had a hard time,” wrote the mother. “I couldn’t help but cry after the phone call.
“Teaching is a thankless job, but it is one of the most beautiful jobs in this world…No teacher should need to feel the way my son’s teacher did. Yes, teachers should avoid making mistakes, but that doesn’t mean they can’t make mistakes,” she wrote.
The mother went on to urge parents not to let teachers “beg for forgiveness” when a mistake happens. “Stop the teacher with an acknowledgment and thank him/her for having the integrity to honour and admit his/ her mistake.”
This integrity should be the same we instill in our children as well, she added.
Lastly, she wrote, “Teachers with good emotional and mental health create a better learning experience and environment for our children.”
Netizens were moved by the mother’s post and shared their respect for her actions. Many teachers also commented and gave their personal experiences on the job.
Read the full post below:
https://www.facebook.com/nikteach.kids.7/posts/465696994005056