I’ve been feeling rather pmsy of late. I can’t think another reason for why so many things piss me off or annoy me.
1) A parent made a police report against a teacher for verbal abuse of his daughter because she said ‘I don’t want to see your face’ to the girl.
Granted, I don’t necessarily agree with what the teacher said, but what the parent did really pissed me off big time. Perhaps Im not a parent and hence fail to fully comprehend the extent of the ridiculousness of the comment, but i honestly don’t even think it was a particularly nasty comment. In any case, even if it was uncalled for and really upset your daughter, shouldn’t the first call of action be to contact the teacher directly to raise your concerns and your unhappiness? And if abd only if the teacher is unreasonable and or recalcitrant, would it be neccessary to escalate the matter to the principal. Personally, i feel that matters should end here. I am actually of the opinion that the ministry should not even entertain every little complaint that parents have. Shouldn’t they have more faith in their principals to deal with the issues appropriately? Unfortunately, parents feel that the FIRST thing they should do when unhappy with a teacher, is it *drumroll* go straight to the police! No wonder the police is so busy if they have to entertain nonsense like this. Others just go straight to the press.
As a teacher to be, I find this phenomenon extremely disturbing. How can a responsible teacher take any proper action if they are constantly in fear of unreasonable parents complaining about anything and everything? I feel that we should trust the judgement and decisions of the teachers more. It is almost impossible to be an effective teacher if one is unable to assert reasonable authority and discipline the class. Of course, even the best teachers a only human beings who WILL make mistakes. Therefore, if there’s anything a parent is unhappy about, I’m sure a responsible teacher will take the time to hear them out and explain their point of view. Parents should then try to understand why a teacher might have needed to say or do something. If what was said or done was really unneccessary or wrong, I’m sure the teacher would also really like to know of they have upset or a hurt a student that they care about. I’m sure a teacher would make a conscious effort not to make the same mistake twice, and also apologize to the student. What’s the point of making such a big fuss out of nothing and going straight to the police?
I just hate how people like to use underhand means to assert what power they feel they should have. People like to use external agencies and the higher ups to pressurize the schools and teachers to give them what they want. Instead of really wanting to right the wrong and help both their teacher and their child, they are just spiteful and want to get the teacher in trouble. perhaps they just want to vent their unhappiness and anger. Is a top down approach in situations like this reply helpful and neccessary? I really beg to differ. No wonder so many teachers just try so hard to protect themselves these days. I just hope I will never end up like that, and that I will dare to make decisions and do things based on my beliefs and what I feel is right. Why can teachers be treated with dignity and respect as they once were?
That being said, I know that not all parents a like that. I really appreciate the nice parents out there. I think it is ok to be demanding, after all, I know parents want what’s best for their kids, I firmly believe that. Surprise surprise, teachers care too! Most anyway. So why not work together? Just please do not be unreasonable. And the first person you should speak to when unhappy is the teacher. Thank you. I mean, if your colleague was unhappy with you, wouldn’t you appreciate them speaking nicely with you than going straight up to your boss? Same logic.
