Every teacher will have to deal with one or two of them during their teaching career. The opposite of the busy parent who doesn’t know much about their child’s education, this parent seems to know too much. Don’t despair, there are ways to deal with them.

Stay calm: Parents can get angry over just about anything the way you teach, too much homework, too little homework, other children, etc. You name it, and they’ll find something wrong with it. I know it’s hard when a parent is shouting out at you and accusing you of being a horrible teacher. But, the first thing to do is stay calm. Don’t become defensive. The parent will probably expect you to get angry and when you stay calm, you gain the upper hand. More likely than not you didn’t do anything wrong, so there’s no need to get upset.

Stay in charge: You’re the teacher so based on your experience and education, you should know how to teach the child. If the parent is the teacher or former teacher, you might run into difficulties. However, you need to explain your approach and reasons behind it.

Have a time limit: Some parents will wait for you outside the classroom ready to pounce on you and ask how her/his child is doing. Every once in a while is ok, however, it can easily get out of hand.  If this is the case, be firm and tell them that you have another class/have to prepare class/have a meeting and that you would be glad to discuss the issue. Smile and walk away.

Get help: Sometimes things just get out of hand. If this is the case, don’t hesitate to ask your principal. DOS or director for help. She/he has probably dealt with parents like this before. In addition, parents tend to become more timid around heads of schools.

By: Nora A. Eludo | Teacher III | Alauli Elementary School | Pilar, Bataan