Case
My child isn't wrong

What is the best way to deal with a parent who never thinks their child does anything wrong? They think their child does not lie and will never intentionally hurt or make fun of someone else. The Principal has even brought this up to the attention of the parent. The parent is quick to blame the actions on other students instead of their child.

Posted on: 10/12/19 | Views: 436
Solution #1
Top Solution
The best thing to do is collect data on the behavior and always have your principal available when conferencing with this particular parent.

I completely agree

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Solution #2
I have worked with many of those parents. I have found that they usually get so defensive because they are at a loss for undesired behavior. They are also used to being blamed by previous teachers for their child's poor behavior. What I found worked best was to create a good relationship with the parents. They needed help, not just problems. I empathized as much as I could. I would then explain how some of these behaviors are normal or age appropriate. Then I would try and ask the parents if they found if something worked at home for them. I would also come to them with research based solutions, several of them. Then we created a small action plan to help the student correct the behavior at both home and school. They can't learn if they always feel like they are in trouble.
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Solution #3
I had a very similar concern and was able to find this article that I found useful. Hope it helps. https://indy.education/2018/01/30/2018-1-29-what-do-you-do-when-a-parent-thinks-their-child-is-perfect/
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Solution #4
Try to collect data on the student, data will always help prove a teachers point if a student is acting out or misbehaving.
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Solution #5
The best way to deal with this is to face it head on. Give the student consequences for their actions and provide evidence to the parent showing that the child was misbehaving.

I see myself using your solution when dealing with parents like the ones in the original post.

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Solution #6
I think a great way to deal with this issue is to collect qualitative data. Keep written records on hand.
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Solution #7
This is something that many educators deal with and one of the best ways is to have a conference with the students parents and get to know them better and ask how the student behaves at home. Then I would go over my rules and expectations in the classroom so that there is no confusion.
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Solution #8
It is important to provide evidence to that parent of their child's infractions. Maybe another student can explain their side.
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Solution #9
I would ask permission to video the student in class so that the parents can see their students in the act of these behaviors. The video would speak for its self, if the parent's still do not believe after watching the video that is another story. I would also see if the parent could sit in the teachers office for a period of time without the student knowing so they could witness the student's behavior first hand.

I am not sure if video taping would be the best solution. It might make the situation worse by creating a scene and "shaming" the student in front of the rest of the class.

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