Case
Parents who make excuses

Mr. Bailey has a student who is unmotivated and never completes his assignments. He has contacted the parent through phone calls and emails; however, every time he interacts with the parent, she makes excuses for him not completing his work such as, "Well, he didn't complete that assignment because I had to work late" or "I had the same problem with his brother." What should Mr. Bailey do?

Posted on: 10/18/14 | Views: 1058
Solution #1
Top Solution
Give this child an opportunity to do it at school. This is where our jobs are tough. Families like this have made excuses for themselves or has had someone make excuses for them their whole lives. It trickles down and becomes a never-ending cycle.

I think giving the child an opportunity to do the work at school is a good idea. As a teacher, it is important to remain flexible to all student's and their unique situations. It is tough to do, but if the parents aren't being helpful, I don't see another way for the student to consistently get their work done.

This is a wonderful suggestions. As teachers, we need to be flexible to meet the needs of our students.

Excellent suggestion!

This idea would be very logical. I would do the same.

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Solution #2
I always tell my parents who constantly have excuses that it is not the parent's responsibility to do the work. If you are working late or are busy, your child needs to take responsibility to get his work done. If the student continues to make excuses, take away privileges to make them realize how important that extra work time is. If they can't complete it at home, they will have to find time to complete at school such as recess.

This is a good solution. Teachers do not send home, homework to see what the student's parent knows.

It can often make the parents feel incompetent if their child isn't doing well. They should act as a support team for the child, instead of opponents.

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Solution #3
The parent needs to realize that their student has responsibilities to get their assignments done. Not doing them can affect their grade, no matter what the excuse. IF the behavior continues the students grades and future may be affected. Hopefully be reaching out to the parent and maybe doing a daily or weekly progress report home for them to sign and return, may give them the insight and communication needed to take more of an interest in their child's education.
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Solution #4
Mr. Bailey could continue to contact the parent about the student. He needs to make sure that he documents everything. Documentation is the key. He could also keep the student after school if possible. He should put pressure on the student as well as the parent to ensure that they know that they are held responsible for his grades in school especially after he has went the extra mile to help. He could also modify the students work.

Documentation is the key! Although I agree with that statement I do not think altering assignments for the child is a good idea. Maybe work out a schedule with the parent so the work will be getting done, and letting the parent know how important the assignments are that the child is missing; after school, recess, or before school.

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Solution #5
The person doing the work is the person doing the learning. Let the parent know that is is super important that they help the student build a routine around doing homework, then if they are working late, or whatever, hopefully the routines are in place and the work will get done. It would not hurt for the parent to check in and ask in the morning about the work and look it over.
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