Dealing with Parents and Difficult Situations

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

Improving Literacy Through Technology

http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/cntareas/reading/li300.htm

The above link takes you to a site that discusses how integration of technology can be used to improve and enhance literacy among our students. I currently teach middle and high school intensive reading. This is not an easy audience to motivate. Many of my students are capable of reading, but they don't enjoy reading. This lack of interest leads to the fact that they don't practice enough and sometimes lose ground without having the literacy exposure. I have been recently introduced podcasting to improve reading fluency. I had my students read books aloud multiple times, using appropriate phrasing and intonation to help increase fluency. They thought is was just for fun and didn't recognize that they were learning, until I told them the purpose behind the podcasts. I was amazed by the excitement of the students the first day I brought in my Mac. They were fighting over who would get to read first and then argued when they finished, that they wanted to read again. I have never seen my students that excited about reading!

In exploring the above website, I found that there is so much more to literacy than what I first understood. The meaning has changed over time and I believe it will continue to broaden and will be transformed throughout the 21st century with all the newly available tools and resources. I am very excited to see where this transformation takes my students and where it takes me as both a learner and an educator.

Games in the Classroom

Please visit The Teacher's Toolbox-Games in the Classroom.

http://web.me.com/wiseangst/Site_2/Games_In_The_Classroom.html

This is a website I helped create with my classmates from another class. The references for this page can be found on this site as well, under the 'references' tab. I'm constantly facing the battle in my classroom over appropriate use of online games. This link provides a few educational game websites with short blurbs describing their uses and appropriate grade levels. I am trying daily to convince my technology specialist and administration that games can have a positive effect on learning, if monitored and used appropriately. If you have any suggestions for bringing this change about in my classroom or in schools, please feel free to share. Also, if you have any favorite game sites, please send them to me...I'd love to have the chance to explore them.

Who I Am

I Am

by: Darla "Jolene" Tucker

 

I am a nurturer by nature.

I wonder if I make a difference.

I hear laughter and positive conversation.

I see fun times and new adventures.

I want to be the best friend I can be.

I am a nurturer by nature.

 

I pretend that all pain is gone when I’m with the ones I love.

I feel as if I can change the world.

I touch the heart of those around me.

I worry if I hurt someone’s feelings.

I cry when others are hurting.

I am a nurturer by nature.

 

I understand the needs and desires of others.

I say “I love you” often.

I dream of happiness and unconditional love.

I try to be a light for the people in my life.

I hope for acceptance and respect.

I am a nurturer by nature.