Case
Parents Talking About Other Teachers to You

You are the sponsor for the Beta Club and often wait with children who are being picked after meetings. When you are monitoring, the parent of a student you taught in science last year often comes to say hello. You really enjoyed teaching their child and have a good rapport. Recently though the parent has been bringing up their student's new science teacher and how frustrated they are this year. The parent goes on and on about how horrible they are, how their child is failing, and that the teacher often embarrasses the kids in front of the class. How would you handle this situation?

Posted on: 03/13/15 | Views: 974
Solution #1
That is really tough, but I think that I would try to let the parent know that you are not the person to be venting to. I would say something like, "I'm sorry that you are feeling that way, I would suggest that you speak with the teacher about your concerns, because nothing will help your child more than working with that teacher to help his succeed. If that does not work, you may want to contact the principal with your concerns."
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Solution #2
Clearly, if the parent is venting to you and not seeming to get anywhere it would be safe to assume that they have not talked directly with that teacher. I would make the recommendation that the parent email the teacher and set up a conference to discuss options for helping their child succeed. Since you have a good rapport with the parent I would encourage them to address the situation in a non-confrontational way and remind them that the ultimate goal is to help their child progress with the content and learn well. The main thing is to remember - do NOT get involved in a conversation about that teacher. It is not our job to run that teacher's classroom.
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Solution #3
Clearly, if the parent is venting to you and not seeming to get anywhere it would be safe to assume that they have not talked directly with that teacher. I would make the recommendation that the parent email the teacher and set up a conference to discuss options for helping their child succeed. Since you have a good rapport with the parent I would encourage them to address the situation in a non-confrontational way and remind them that the ultimate goal is to help their child progress with the content and learn well. The main thing is to remember - do NOT get involved in a conversation about that teacher. It is not our job to run that teacher's classroom.
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