Teachers get a lot of interesting emails and phone calls. And is it just me, or has it been a whole lot worse over the last year? We all understand that parents have the best interest of their child at heart, but sometimes the things parents say are totally ridiculous. And itâs really, really hard to compose a professional response, especially when we canât stop laughing.
See if you recognize any of the following comments.
1. âCan you call us every night and tell us what the homework is?â
Of course. I have nothing better to do. Said no teacher ever. I understand that some students need additional supports, but in general, knowing that nightâs homework is the childâs responsibility. And I donât know about you, but I provide my students with planners with that information.
2. âWhen is my child going to get an award?â
Excuse me? I always hated when we were required to give every child an award. I mean, I tried to spread the wealth when it came to recognition and honor a wide variety of behaviors, but I donât appreciate when thereâs an expectation of something for nothing.
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3. âHe didnât have time to study. He had basketball practice.â
Maybe we should re-examine those priorities, mmm-kay?
4. âWhy canât you just teach math the way I learned it?â
This is often uttered in the same breath as âI was never good at math.â Hey, did you ever consider that those two things might be related? I know ânew mathâ can be tough to wrap your head around, but we know rote memorization by itself doesnât work. Theyâll learn the algorithm, too, but not before they understand the concepts behind it.
5. âSheâs never gotten a grade this low before.â
Oh, is that so? Let me take a look at their transcript and current grades in other classes.
6. âIf you give him a B, heâs not going to get into his first-choice college.â
Maybe if he canât meet the admission requirements for his first-choice college, he shouldnât be admitted? Isnât that how it works? (P.S. He earned a B.)
7. âSheâs gifted.â
What parent doesnât want to believe this about their child? Unfortunately, some parents have quite a bit of bias when determining the extent of their childâs talents. Sometimes, younger kids show a strong ability in certain subjects. Eventually, their peers catch up to them, but Mom and Dad will cling to the fact that, five years ago, for about a week, their child was the best in their class at adding two-digit numbers. While itâs fantastic for parents to have such positive opinions of their children, itâs also healthy to understand their weaknesses and the fact that as kids grow, their abilities change.
8. âHe said heâs not the only one whoâs misbehaving, but heâs the only one who gets in trouble.â
Teachers donât share disciplinary actions with students. Just because a kid may not see or hear another kid get in trouble, it doesnât mean that they didnât. Also, letâs be honest: Sometimes, kids may not have a completeâor truthfulârecollection of the entire situation.
9. âWeâre actually going on vacation the week before Spring Break. Will he miss anything?â
No, weâll just sit and wait for his return. We definitely wonât be trying to finish up a unit, complete with review and test, before break or anything like that.  Â
10. âAnd if he will miss anything, can you get it all together before we leave, so he can do it in the car?â
A good teacher keeps their lessons flexible and is able to respond to the needs of their students. I may have a general idea of what my week will look like, but it could easily change. And letâs not pretend that everything I do can be recreated in the form of a worksheet. Every time I have supplied a student with a packet of work, the student has returned with a blank packet.
11. âShe said the test had things on it that you didnât teach.â
Oh yes. This sounds like exactly the kind of thing I would do.
12. âI think you should âŠâ
Umm⊠how about I donât tell you how to parent, and you donât tell me how to teach?
13. âI just want you to know, we support you.â
OK, the truth is, most parents are pretty awesome! For every one that just doesnât seem to get it, there are many, many more who do. And we teachers really appreciate their understanding and support.