It is important that the teacher remain calm and professional. This is not a bad strike on the teacher and he should not take this personally. The teacher should also have a good relationship with his/her administration. He could go to the administrator and discuss the issue.

Mr. Jack should first sit down with his administrator and find out what specific concerns the parent expressed. Then, Mr. Jack should share his documentation of the students performance, behavior, and any other factors that would have affected the students grade. He can ask his administrator how should he proceed with addressing the parents concern himself. Should he contact the parent while the administrator is present, should he schedule a parent/teacher/administrator conference, or should he allow the administrator to contact the parent to discuss his documentation of the students grade. Whether the Mr. Jack and/or the administrator speaks with or meets with the parent, they need to understand what factors contributed to their student earning the grade in which they did (they need to be aware of the documentation). Mr. Jack and/or the administrator must also help the parent to understand how vital it is to communicate their concerns with their students teacher first, as they will have the information needed to possibly resolve issues and provide understanding.

Possible Solution: I would send an email to the parent and CC the principal. I would ask the parent that in the future if they have an issue with their child's grade or any classroom concerns to please contact me first so that I can help find a solution to the problem and if we cannot find a solution or come to an agreement then we will speak with the principal so that they may offer more suggestions.

This has happened a few times this year between the teachers in my grade. We have discussed this scenario several times. The best advice I could give you is to ask for a face to face meeting with the parent and have the administrator in the meeting with. There I would ask the problem and try and solve it. But before you go into the meeting, be sure you have a clear head and have gotten all the anger out because that is the biggest. If you go into a meeting upset, it will never end well.

I think the situation depends on how Mr. Jack found out that the parent sent the email to administration. Before, Mr. Jack contacts anyone it is important for him to calm down so that he can speak to the parent professionally and reasonably. I also think that Mr. Jack should make a personal phone call to the parent and ask the parent to share their thoughts and concerns regarding the grade. If it would be beneficial to have the parent come in to look at the assignment for suggestions and have a discussion, do that. However, listen to the parent and hear what they have to say. Make sure Mr. Jack tells the parents that they hear what they are saying. Whatever the assignment grade was, make sure you have administrative support before the grade stays or changes after the conversation with the parent.

The teacher should speak with the administrator and let he/she know the parent never attempted to contact him. The teacher should then gather his information for the grading of the assignment. He should then request a conference with the parent and administrator to discuss the issue.