Topic: jdredd1 's blog Can we open the parents eyes?

I have just stumbled on your blog now and I do agree with a few points that you raise. I myself came to China to teach ESL and while it was not always a dream, I did enjoy it. I understand and agree completely that some parents, not all, are like you describe and training schools in China are exactly the same as they are anywhere else in the world, they are businesses and see the 元 before anything else. Yes, I have been in your situation where parents don't want to hear that their child isn't good in English but there are a few strategies that can help. 1. Get to know your parents, and when a new student enrols into your class, make a point of meeting with them to discuss learning outcomes. Some parents want their kids to socialise more than learn when it comes to training schools, and there's nothing wrong with that. What you need to establish with the parents is that you are here as their teacher and you work on honesty, and there may be times you require them to be part of the learning process. 2. Don't just tell parents the problems, offer suggestions. I think it's fair to say that in any country around the world, if you told parents that their child has difficulty in learning or behaviour, they would get upset. Don't just dish out the problems, try and help the parents by offering at least 2 solutions per problem. Share games, or invite the student in for an additional review class... it's all about communication. These are some of the things that I used while teaching here which worked well. While it can be difficult to change mentalities and opinions where each training school is different, I think it's always best to try. Again, it's all about communication.