For the most part, my class is pretty good. Academically, this class is higher than most. Behaviorally, they are pretty decent. I have some squirrelly and talkative kids but nothing too serious. I do have one special needs kid who does take some time and special intervention, but for the most part, he is easy to deal with as well.
That being said, I do have the need to talk to parents from time to time regarding behavioral issues. I like to tell parents right away when there is a problem so that it can be dealt with and eliminated. (as mush as possible!) I try to catch parents as they pick up their kids or call as soon as school is over. The parents are usually very receptive, a bit embarrassed and very supportive.
This year I have two incidents with parents that have bothered me. Last week I had to talk to a parent about very rude behavior by her son towards my student teacher and to me. After several defiant comments and behaviors I told the boy that he would need to apologize or he would have to lose his recess and discuss his behavior with me. The boy refused and then went on to cry for a good 20 minutes and tantrum for an hour after that. I was able to miraculously get him back on track and his afternoon was fabulous. When I talked to his mom about it and asked for her help in this matter she said that he never behaves like this at home and that it must be me!!! I agreed that it must be me. I went on to tell her that I must be the only one making him accountable for his behavior and that I would continue to do just that with her son. (I know that is bold of me but come on, someone had to tell this lady that!) Once I told her that she went on to say well, he didn't sleep well the night before and that was why he acted like that. We went several rounds like this and I just told her that no matter what, her son will not be allowed to be rude and disrespectful to anyone at school, period. She said nothing. She wasn't upset with me at all but she just didn't understand that she needed to take this serious and work with her son on this.
Today, I had to talk with a different parent about her son's extreme disruptiveness in class. This boy talks out too much and often blurts out answers to show off what he knows and not let others answer. I had to stop class several times today and take the boy outside to have a talk with him. When I explained this to mom she said that it was because he had a fever on Friday. What??? I told her that his behavior had nothing to do with a fever and he is expected to follow all of the rules. Mom then turned to me and asked if I had seen a bracelet that belonged to her son. I was lost. She then went on to say that he lost it in my class. This lady could care less that her son was misbehaving in class!!! To make matters worse, she did all of this in front of her son sending him the message that it wasn't important to behave.
How frustrating!!!
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2 comments:
Grrr! I'm so sorry. We have so many parents like that. There was one parent who said, "I know my child isn't perfect, but he's perfect to me. He's an unfinished work of art."
Meanwhile, the kid walks out of class, refuses to do work, and is rude to his classmates.
Some parents just have no clue. I hope it gets better for you. Teachers down the line will be very appreciative of you.
I tend to complain about the parents a lot, but most of it is good-natured. However, the only thing that truly burns me up is when parents refuse to hold their children accountable for rude, unacceptable behavior. Making excuses for your child is NOT going to help them when they get older! Are these parents going to follow their kids to high school and college? Talk to their professors about extending the due date for an assignment? Tell their bosses that they didn't show up for work on time because they didn't sleep well last night? Those type of parents are creating monsters. Good luck with them. I haven't seen any in my room yet, but it's only been a week. I'm sure one will surface sooner or later.
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