Handling difficult parents
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To teach is to multi-task and adapt to the needs of students while also developing skills like effective communication with parents. Both new and experienced teachers will face challenges dealing with different types of parental involvement from overly-involved parents who demand frequent updates to hands-off parents who don't respond to contact. New teachers may struggle to set boundaries with demanding parents and feel overwhelmed by their requests for extra time and details. They also risk being surprised by problems if they stop contacting unresponsive parents. More experienced teachers know to document all communication in emails and notes to defend their efforts if issues later arise.
Handling difficult parents
- 1. To teach is to multi-task and be multi-talented. It means to be adaptive to your classroom environment, creative in your presentation, responsive to the ever fluctuating needs of your students, dedicated to the afterschool and weekend hours of planning, correcting, and collaborating and diplomatic when dealing with parents. The latter skill is one that is cultivated over time and yet most elusive to master. The probable cause is attributed to the varying child rearing philosophies of each household. You will inevitably come across the strung out parent that will call you nine at night about a “confusing assignment” or the MIA parent that reluctantly meets with you, only after numerous phone calls, to discuss their child’s misbehavior, all the way to the irate parent that will call you horrific names either to your face or to the administrator over some type of miscommunication. Whether you are a newbie or a veteran, you will time and again confront the same types of parental issues, regardless of professional experience; The only difference is how the situation is handled. The hands-on parent is someone who will: actively check the homework website for any updates emails teachers for student progress and/or grading inconsistencies offers their services to volunteer or donate shows up to school if even a rumor circulates that their child misbehaves in class How it’s handled: The Newbie Teacher: will--on parent's personal request--email, call, and dedicate hours after school to disclose every minute detail of the student’s progress with the parent. Overtime, Newbie teacher will become overwhelmed due to the precious time taken away from grading, lesson planning, and other phone calls that warrant an equal if not more pressing matter. will find it difficult to set boundaries for fear of offending the parent or coming across as an uncaring teacher. The hands-off parent is someone who: doesn’t return any teacher phone calls doesn’t show up to parent/teacher conferences or school functions complains to administration of annoying/excessive phone calls about the badgering teacher How it's handled: The Newbie Teacher:
- 2. will stop calling, either on the advice of administration and/or of the parent, until an after-the-fact situation arises, such as a permanent F on the report card or a suspendable offense, and will be unpleasantly surprised to find that the burden of fault still rest upon teacher’s shoulders for lack of communication. The Veteran Teacher: will resort to emailing, or, if parent doesn’t have email access, to sending quick notes (preferably carbon copy pre-written templates). knows better because A) If administration has already instructed the teacher to not contact the parent, they will most likely also be the type to absent-mindedly forget they ever had said such a thing if there ever comes a day to point fingers, and B) If the parent told the teacher to stop bothering him or her, the parent will most likely also be the type to absent-mindedly forget he or she ever said such a thing if there ever comes a day to point fingers. knows better because keeping paper trails to support academic and behavioral evaluations is the only way to defend his or her honor as a caring and effectual teacher.