When the topic of parents is discussed with a group of teachers, this becomes a touchy subject as we all have either been a parent, been a child to a parent, been a teacher, or just have some life experience pertaining to this subject. Teachers and parents sometimes see eye to eye while other times they don’t. What makes it so difficult is a child is involved and opinions sometimes are taken as attacks.
I have had experiences with many types of parents, (including my own), from the parent who thinks there child can do no wrong to the parent who thinks their child is the most horrible being on the planet. This is a wide range, I understand, but this is just to show the many different personalities of people and how they think of their children.
One time I had a parent approach me before entering my classroom to “tell me off” were her words. As I do not like to have confrontation, especially where the children can see or hear the parent, I simply diffused the situation and said, “I know this is very important to discuss and I want to give you my full attention but this is not the time or place I can give you my full attention and I really want to find out the problem.” Within seconds the parent’s voice level went down to a normal volume, she smiled, and told me the problem. Later on that day, when I had the time to sit and discuss it with her, it was a form of misunderstanding and my words were twisted around by her son so he could give a reasonable argument by saying, “Well Ms. W said it was ok,” since this was an ongoing argument he was having with his parents for a few months.
Not all problems are that easily solved and sometime the line of asking a parent to discuss a problem later turns the other way where they become more agitated.
What I have done and suggest is straight from the first day of school, teachers should have open communication with parents. Depending on the area you live, I understand not all parents are involved in their child’s educational future but just letting the parent know that you are approachable makes it easier when an issue should occur.