You know what sucks? Telling parents when their kids misbehave.
You know what sucks even more? When parents cry because you tell them how they are misbehaving.
Today I had the displeasure of calling a parent and giving her the daily run down on her child. We have been in school 3 weeks now and this is not the first conversation we have had on this issue. It was such an awkward situation for me. I called the parent to give her the rundown of the day. There were so many incidents today that felt as if I were stabbing the lady over and over again as I was telling her what transpired today. (out of seat non stop, not completing work, moved out of group, hitting kids, making faces, starting fights, name calling, throwing milk on other kids etc.....)
I had to tell the mom everything. I just had too! I feel that if I am going to ever make a difference with this girl I have to be up front and honest from the beginning or we will go nowhere with her. After each incident I mentioned , I could hear the mom weep a little louder.
Then the conversation got even more strange. The mom (crying the whole way through) said "Gracias maestra por preocuparse tanto por mi hija. Se que usted tiene muchas cosas que hacer y no tienes que llamarme o perder su tiempo ayundando mi hija tanto. Usted puede mandarla al director y ya! Te lo agradezco mucho" (Thanks for taking so much time out to help my daughter. I know that you have many things to do and don't have to waste your time on my daughter. You could just send her to the Principal and they can take care of it. I really appreciate it)
THAT took me by surprise! I expected the lady to fight back with me, question me or not respond at all. I NEVER thought I would get a thank you and so much support. I didn't know how to respond at first but I just told her that it was my job and that I want her to be successful and that she can if we all work really hard with her.
This job...I tell ya! I know that so many people think that teachers have it made with easy hours and a cushy workload. They just don't even know the half of it.
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3 comments:
Surely that mom knows that her child misbehaves. She had the good grace to see that you are trying to help her little one. You sure never know how parents will respond! I think some parents really are grateful for teachers that work so hard with serious behavior issues, because the parents themselves don't know what to do and become exasperated.It may be a relief for that mom to be able to talk about it, and hope that you have some suggestions for her. She really sees you as a professional. Teragram
You know what, you’re such a wonderful teacher. She is right, some teachers/people wouldn’t take the time, and what you’re doing is caring. It is true that most parents fight back, because (I’ve noticed this a lot lately) when a kid misbehaves, the parents always go straight to the teacher and argue. Shoot, back when I was a kid, my parents first reaction was, “WHAT DID YOU DO?!”
I’m glad she’s one of those types of moms. That realizes that you’re not out there to just complain or make her life harder, but you want to make her aware of her daughters current misbehavior in order to correct the issue.
And you’re right, we don’t know the half of it. I’ve always been on the students end of all this, never been a teacher. But from what I saw at times and how teachers would be disrespected, I do know it’s not easy.
i agree with cad; it is really wonderful of you to actually all the parents to let them know about how their daughter is misbehaving (a lot of teachers wouldn't take the time to make that phone all).
hopefully, since the mother is on board with you, this little girl's behavior will improve!
p.s. cushy work load! no way! so much work after hours...
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