Parent from Hell

Ok, so it turns out that Laid-back ol' me, may actually be the embodiment of the parent from Hell. I am experiencing, for the first time, serious dis-satisfaction with my own daughters education experience, and now am very aware of the motivation behind many of the scary parents we see (or hear about). There are strong emotions, a lot of worry, the feeling that you may be the only advocate your kid has, and alot of uncertainty as to what the right thing is.

So, trying to pull something good out of this experience... here are some thoughts.

Leave the door open to your room and make the parents feel as welcome as possible. I've seen this at work at my dyad, and I believe the position of being a parents ally is much more firmly established. I think there is a power in being open and allowing the parents see what happens in the room, it builds trust and understanding.

When you discipline a kid severely, fully explain why to the parents.

Be personable, when you communicate (emails or letters home) don't merely relay the data of the educational targets hit in class, but go into lively detail explaining what happened and what the kids enjoyed.

Understand, that most of the time, the parents aren't merely being meddlesome/ignorant/difficult, but they do have their childs best interest in mind.

I mean really, does this look like the face of a girl who need to be sent home with a demerit?


So anyways, what are some strategies you've noticed your teachers use? Do they seem to work? What are the attitudes your Master Teacher has toward parents when the door is closed?

-hux