As a parent I find that one of the pressures that is affecting today’s Maltese families is when our child has a teacher that is not doing his/her duty. My child is in Form 3, attending a Church school and has a teacher of a core subject that is giving them homework, and then telling them to check the answers from the back of the book at home.

From the start of this year this teacher has only collected homework once and that is to mark it ‘seen’. No feedback whatsoever is given to the children about their homework. This teacher only sees my child’s work during tests and exams. Consequently I had to enrol my child in private lessons (e8 per lesson) and, guess what, so are most of the other parents.

There are many dedicated teachers but the ones who are getting away with not performing their duties are putting pressure on the families. This includes financial pressure, more stress on the child and on the family and less quality time with your children. This also makes the child feel inadequate in the subject as the marks can’t soar up with a weekly lesson of private tuition. Furthermore, these teachers are sending a message to our youths that you can earn money by just presenting yourself in class and no more!

The life of a teacher is a vocation and we need good teachers now more than ever before! Both parents are working; children need to have good role models. Also let us not forget that these teachers who are not upholding their duties and their profession are also putting their load on the teachers of the following year. As it happens this teacher teaches both Form 3 and Form 4 so my child has a possibility of having another year lost!

I beseech all administrative staff to find the time to look into matters concerning corrections and homework; let us remember that secondary school children are not university students, there has to be more one-to-one teaching and monitoring.

After this letter I hope the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) does not respond to negate that such actions do occur on a daily basis, year in year out. The MUT has done a lot of good work but it is difficult to balance the act as a union and a professional body at the same time! The teachers have the union to stand up for their rights, the children have only their parents who are too scared stiff to talk in case their child is used as the school’s punching bag!

I appeal to Education Minister Dolores Christina, the archbishops and the association of private and church schools to monitor their schools and provide proper evaluations. I cannot but mention the importance of having teachers screened psychologically even before entering university, and throughout their careers especially when they are passing through stressed times in their lives.

Our children and the future of our families have to rely more on the human resources of our teachers. Teaching as a job is not so financially rewarding and this can cause frustration and perhaps the need to conduct private lessons after one’s normal schedule which can leave teachers depleted both mentally and physically. In some church schools classes are too big and this also adds to the burden of the teacher.

In jobs of finance there is more scrutiny as to how the job is delivered but where the service of a human being is concerned we can cut corners, as for doing away without ever collecting copybooks and giving feedback to the student. And yes, I agree with the MUT that the teachers are underpaid as a profession, but teaching is raising a human being. What could be more sacred, and what better to invest in?

PARENT

Birkirkara