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Like always - smoothly and brief - what grades and why. If parents are still angry, I will tell'em to calm down and cntinue my discourse
Many teachers, even seasoned veterans, have a fear of talking to parents about their child’s misbehavior.
Generally, they’re afraid of three things:
These fears are well founded.
While discussing behavior, teachers tend to say things that rub parents the wrong way. And because the topic of conversation is their child, their beloved flesh and blood, parents respond by fighting back.
Their protective instinct kicks in, their emotions flare, and in an instant you find yourself backpedaling, apologizing, and explaining away your decisions and methods.
Or worse, you bristle at their angry tone, become defensive, and drive a wedge through the critical teacher-parent relationship.
Yikes! It’s a bad situation to be in.
It’s also avoidable. Regardless of who the parents are, or how bad (or good) their reputation is at your school, it’s possible to discuss behavior in a way that leaves them both supportive of you and eager to help their child improve.
Here’s how:
Be friendly.
It’s a mistake to be grave or overly serious when speaking to parents, which causes them to put up a wall of defense before you even get to the purpose of your meeting. Put them at ease from the beginning. Say hello, smile, and maintain a friendly attitude throughout the conversation.
