There are many pleasures of teaching, but talking with upset parents is not one of them. As a teacher, you are an easy target for agitated parents to attack when things are not going as they planned. Here are a few simple tips to keep in mind when faced with angry parent, listen, remain calm, and remember the student.
Listening is Key to Building Bridges Home
First, and most importantly, listen to what they have to say. Parents are key pieces to understanding how to help a student exceed. You, as a teacher and the parent have a cooperative agreement, you rely on each other to meet one goal, a successful student. An upset parent may often feel like you do care about what the problem is, if you do not let them talk. If the initial communication is through e-mail, do not reply quickly. Wait and gather your thoughts before you respond. Decide whether e-mail to work towards a solution is appropriate or if a parent-teacher conference would allow for better communication.
Remaining Calm Diffuses Heated Conversations
Second, give parents space when things feel a little heated. One idea is to offer to step out of the room so that they may cool down and collect their thoughts. This will prevent the meeting from to turning to unconstructive. If they refuse to calm down, or become verbally abusive, let them know you will see them when they have regained control of their emotions.
Keeping the Goal in Mind, the Student
Final tip is to remember to keep one thing in mind, the student. Although it may feel like the parent is attacking you personally, they are not. You may not be aware of situation in the students family may be facing that could set this off. Be proactive, and start the conversation with ways the student is excelling in academics or other subjects.
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Awesome post! I did one very similar a few weeks ago regarded coaches dealing with parents, but both situations require the same principles. One thing from your post that I could of added it to stay focused on the student and to not make the situation personal. I also like your use of headlines through out the blog, nice work!
ReplyDeleteMichelle,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! People tend to forget that as well as teaching the students the course work they also have to deal with the parents too!!! Very nice post though. I agree with Josh in stateing that your post is easy to read, and I love the headlines! You are going to do great things in the future!!!