Reality?

I had an 'interesting' morning.
I have just spoken to a parent whose child is underperforming.
This is a child who tends to shoot off remarks without thinking, and does not make a conscious effort to listen.  While the class is slowly improving, this one is regressing.  So I made the call to the parent.

Imagine my shock when I got this response.
a) Why have I taken so long to call the parent?
b) Why did I 'kill' the child's spirit?
c)  How come I did not try to understand the child?

Maybe I have been living in my 'ivory tower' for far too long.  Maybe I am jaded.  Maybe I have reached the point when I have become critical and boring.  Maybe I have stopped caring.

I had informed the parent that I had spoken to the child personally.  In my view, he needed the wake-up call.  If the child did not stop to reason, and listen...then all will be jeopardised.  Unfortunately, the other side of the coin is this."Why has the child stopped listening suddenly?  My child works for the teacher.  If my child likes the teacher, ....can perform. If you want to help, then accept the child's nonsense."

I do not want to be critical of the child...the one who has already formed a mindset that "I will indeed fail because of my teacher."  That is already the ready excuse.  And if the child fails, then, the parent is ever-ready too, to point fingers at me.

Maybe....maybe they are right.
Maybe I took the wrong approach; not to try to win over the difficult child.
Maybe I failed in my role as an educator; so much for me being a person who took pride in 'every child matters'.

But then...what about self-awareness and self-responsibility?
I had come down hard, because I know that no matter what, the skills I think, will be the skills for life.
Think...think...think...do not be so quick to reply. Substantiate your ideas. Plan your work. Check your work.  It is because...?
If one does not realise how much one's actions will affect others, then I feel sorry for that individual.

Thank you for the feedback.
I will make sure you do not fail!