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When Not to Listen to the Teacher
Her big, brown eyes looked up at me pleadingly, as the first tear began to roll
slowly down her soft, six-year-old, innocent face. I was as shocked as she was.
I had been called to my daughter’s new school by the remedial teacher.
Was I aware my daughter had learning difficulties?
Yes I was.
Due to constant ear infections Elizabeth had lost her hearing for the best part
of two years of her young life. Amongst other things, her speech had been
delayed and her reading was behind other children her age.
This teacher, this person specially trained to help children, the very person
who was supposed to help my daughter reach her full potential, had called me in
to school to tell me, and my daughter, that she would be lucky if she ever
managed to finished high school.
What is a mother supposed to do when even the remedial teacher doesn’t have any
faith in your child’s ability? What do you tell your child when she has been
told that she is doomed to failure before she has even finished primary school?
That was the question I was struggling to answer even as I stood there in that
room, listening to this insensitive, authoritarian woman, who had no heart,
wishing I had never brought my daughter to this school. I wondered, if this
teacher was a mother? No, she couldn’t be. I truly believe you cannot have a
child and not have a heart.
I took my child’s small hand as we left this cold, killer-of-dreams office, to
step outside into the sweet, fresh air. There, I bent down on one knee and,
putting my hands on my daughter small but now heavy shoulders, I looked her
straight in the eyes.
“Elizabeth”, I said sternly, “If you work hard at school, I promise you, you can
be anything you want to be.”
She smiled and took my hand for the journey home.
Elizabeth finished high school. In fact she went on to university. The day
Elizabeth was presented with her Degree, a Bachelor in Social Studies, I emailed
the school. Of course, I knew the remedial teacher would be long gone but I
wanted every teacher there to know, as I would like all teachers to know, that
every child has potential ... that no-one should ever tell a child they are
beyond hope.
Elizabeth’s story is a perfect example ... every child has potential. I hope
there is not one parent who will listen to anybody who suggests otherwise.
Baby in Diaper,...
H. Armstrong...
Buy This at Allposters.com
Reviews
(applause received) 
Kerry Lown Whalen
Australia
"I loved this heartening
story, the belief the mother had in her daughter, and the
determination of them both that she would succeed. Each of us
remembers both the positive and negative comments made by
teachers. They have a responsibility to nurture each child."
Dale Aitken
Australia
"I met Elizabeth when she
finished high school and I have seen the hard work, And
dedication she exuded to complete her degree. She is a very
special person. That is why I married her."
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