I teach in a high-achieving public school in which all of our classes are honors level or above and many people think that I have it easy. “Wow, you’re at ______, what a great school!” “You have a cake walk compared to teaching in regular schools.” “You can’t even imagine some of the stuff I deal with!” These are just a few of the statements that I hear on a regular basis. As great as my school is, it definitely has some downfalls. When dealing with an advanced population of students, you also are dealing with parents having high expectations for their children and of the teachers. There are always a few students that fit the bill of the classic, gifted, underachiever. I’m currently working with a student like this and the parents are doing everything in their power to find where to place the blame. Is it the student’s fault? Is it the teacher’s fault? Is it the school’s fault? Can it be our (the parents’) fault? These are the questions that are present in any parent’s mind whenever a seemingly intelligent child is not making adequate academic progress. I have been doing my own research to tap into this student’s interests and I’ve had little success. It is now being turned back to the school that it is our (the school’s) fault. We are now being considered the cause and the only solution in the parents’ mind. But, what if we are not the problem? How do I deal with these parents and this difficult situation? I am sure that I am not the only person that faces this type of problem, so I’ve done a bit of research and I found a checklist for how to handle difficult parents and a couple other links to explore. If anyone has any suggestions, I’d be happy to hear them. I can use all the help I can get at this point.
Checklist
http://www.athleticsearch.com/bonuseditorial/difficultparentschecklist.html
Inspiring Teachers http://www.inspiringteachers.com/classroom_resources/tips/parent_communication/dealing_with_difficult_parents.html
Education World
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/chat/chat111.shtml
NWREL
http://www.nwrel.org/request/march99/article7.html
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I was a technology instructor at Celebration (the town that Disney built) and the same issues were there. I did not have to deal with parents, but I felt so sorry for teachers. Parents companied and teachers were told to change grades, or give them more time. It was so political. Disney was more interesting in selling houses, than actual education.
ReplyDeleteLinda Burns
I get similar comments because I work in a private school instead of a public school. It is irritating. I read this article the other day, it is pretty good:
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/cscqt8
Thanks Joann for the link...That is a great article and some good tips to rememember.
ReplyDeleteAt this point in the school year, I'm afraid it's only getting worse, especially at my school. Students and parents are starting to realize that they may be asked not to return due to poor grades. Parents and students understand this policy and sign an academic contract at the beginning of the year, but when reality sets in, it must be someone else's fault and the blame-game begins.