Teachers as parents - the crests and troughs of it
Published August 15, 2011
Positive Parenting Magazine
Charmaine Rowe* remembers her daughter crying at home and not wanting to go to school the next morning, she was very concerned. She was not dealing with a Kindergarten student but a teenager who was buckling under pressure as her mother was the vice principal her school.
"It was very difficult," recalls Rowe, vice principal of a St Andrew High School and mother of two daughters. "She was taunted by her classmates, though she was a naturally talented student, but they thought that she was being given preferential treatment, she was starting to feel the pressure."
The situation reached a flashpoint and came to a stage that her daughter asked to relinquish the post. "She said that she would not be 'picked on' by her friends and I was also seriously thinking about it," Rowe says.
Thankfully the situation eased and Rowe still holds the office and is relieved that the time passed. Rowe, who teaches history, says that there comes a point in every teacher's life that as a parent they have to balance their work with family.
Enjoying the fruits of parenthood
Michelle Goldson, teacher at Mona Preparatory School, Kingston, who had spoken to Positive Parenting has a three year old daughter who attends Kindergarten at the school.
"I grew up teaching I grew up teaching the dolls in the verandah of the house," Goldson says.
Unlike Rowe who was presented with the challenge of being a teacher and parent, she has none. Not this time, Goldson said. "It is an advantage for me to have my daughter around next door, she is near me," she says. "Being a teacher, I have the privilege of getting her work done."
She said, though, that it is imperative that the child understands from day one they cannot take advantage of this.
Rowe sought the assistance of the guidance counsellors to resolve her daughter's issue. "As a teacher I had decided to stay away from the child," she said. "You need to support your children without taking sides."
Rowe's younger daughter is in fourth form and she is bracing to see her through. "As any parent I want to spend more time with her. I do not want her to be a part of the statistics of those who failed or dropped out of the school because they did not have parental support."
"There are social issues to deal with for her...I have seen so many children gone astray. I much rather have a stable family than become rich."
Here is a woman who has seen the need to compartmentalise her life. "I have two jobs at hand," said Rowe. "When the school gets over, I have to go back and be a mother and wife. It is important that you leave your job behind and exude positivity at home."
Goldson, on the other hand, sees her job as an advantage, "The school is over by 3 p.m., so I have more time to spend with the family and holidays, I love holidays, this is a privilege that only a teacher can have."
Family support
Goldson, who has been married about nine years, attributed the fact that she did not have to deal with challenges, because of her husband. "This smooth sailing would not have been possible without the partner," she says. "Having a father helps tremendously, he takes over from me when the going is tough."
Both teachers emphasise having family around, a factor that has made life easier for them. "My daughter has her grandparents around," says Golding, "this has also made a lot of difference."
*Name was changed
Positive Parenting Magazine
Charmaine Rowe* remembers her daughter crying at home and not wanting to go to school the next morning, she was very concerned. She was not dealing with a Kindergarten student but a teenager who was buckling under pressure as her mother was the vice principal her school.
"It was very difficult," recalls Rowe, vice principal of a St Andrew High School and mother of two daughters. "She was taunted by her classmates, though she was a naturally talented student, but they thought that she was being given preferential treatment, she was starting to feel the pressure."
The situation reached a flashpoint and came to a stage that her daughter asked to relinquish the post. "She said that she would not be 'picked on' by her friends and I was also seriously thinking about it," Rowe says.
Thankfully the situation eased and Rowe still holds the office and is relieved that the time passed. Rowe, who teaches history, says that there comes a point in every teacher's life that as a parent they have to balance their work with family.
Enjoying the fruits of parenthood
Michelle Goldson, teacher at Mona Preparatory School, Kingston, who had spoken to Positive Parenting has a three year old daughter who attends Kindergarten at the school.
"I grew up teaching I grew up teaching the dolls in the verandah of the house," Goldson says.
Unlike Rowe who was presented with the challenge of being a teacher and parent, she has none. Not this time, Goldson said. "It is an advantage for me to have my daughter around next door, she is near me," she says. "Being a teacher, I have the privilege of getting her work done."
She said, though, that it is imperative that the child understands from day one they cannot take advantage of this.
Rowe sought the assistance of the guidance counsellors to resolve her daughter's issue. "As a teacher I had decided to stay away from the child," she said. "You need to support your children without taking sides."
Rowe's younger daughter is in fourth form and she is bracing to see her through. "As any parent I want to spend more time with her. I do not want her to be a part of the statistics of those who failed or dropped out of the school because they did not have parental support."
"There are social issues to deal with for her...I have seen so many children gone astray. I much rather have a stable family than become rich."
Here is a woman who has seen the need to compartmentalise her life. "I have two jobs at hand," said Rowe. "When the school gets over, I have to go back and be a mother and wife. It is important that you leave your job behind and exude positivity at home."
Goldson, on the other hand, sees her job as an advantage, "The school is over by 3 p.m., so I have more time to spend with the family and holidays, I love holidays, this is a privilege that only a teacher can have."
Family support
Goldson, who has been married about nine years, attributed the fact that she did not have to deal with challenges, because of her husband. "This smooth sailing would not have been possible without the partner," she says. "Having a father helps tremendously, he takes over from me when the going is tough."
Both teachers emphasise having family around, a factor that has made life easier for them. "My daughter has her grandparents around," says Golding, "this has also made a lot of difference."
*Name was changed
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