P45: Staffroom Confidential

Reader’s rant

There’s always one…

It’s a new school year and like every year before it, I cross my fingers and hope for friendly and positive parents. Not my own of course (they’re fantastic!) but the parents of the children I will be teaching.

Throughout my teaching career I have enjoyed each class I have taught, and relish the challenges each new cohort of children presents – whether these are providing a fun and creative curriculum or dealing with difficult behaviour. Every year, however, I seem to get stuck with a few tricky parents.

Parents, like ice-cream, come in different flavours. The vast majority are happy to let teachers use their professional discretion when it comes to educating their children. If they are concerned about an issue, they will make an appointment to speak to the teacher at an appropriate time.

I am more than happy to oblige and enjoy working with these parents. They are positive and involved with school life and will offer to help on trips and at other school events. They are friendly and can be a terrific resource.

The other group is trickier! Some have no interest in any education, which they do not value, and if they don’t agree with how you’re educating their children you’re going to hear about it. Regardless of the progress their child is making in whatever subject they deem to be the most important, it will never meet their standards.

Others don’t even pretend to care about their child’s education and simply complain at any opportunity, no matter how trivial the issue may be. For whatever reason, this type of parent has no interest in your professional judgement, and will happily try to catch a teacher out, often offering up playground gossip as the smoking gun which proves their case. It never is.

Incredibly, I know of a parent who sent their child to school with a tape recorder strapped to their body, to listen in on what was happening in the classroom.

In my school, parents cannot hang about after the school day starts and from 9am to 3.30pm I focus on what I love to do and give my attention to the ones who really need it – the children – which makes it all worthwhile.

Anonymous, London

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