Talking with the Teacher

Teacher at Desk by: George Eastman House on Flickr.

A situation most parents stay away from, but more often than not, it is required of us to have a talk with our children’s teachers. Be it because they misbehaved, their grades have declined or they are being commended for saving the world from certain destruction, it’s always hard to talk to them. Fear of what they might have to say about our child keeps us away. But, guess what? We have to suck it up and open up to them. After all, they are the caretakers of our most priced gifts for the better part of their young life.

Getting misunderstandings out of the way

Sometimes, your child might tell you about something they saw or experienced and you will have to stop and chat with the teacher to straighten things out. When this happens make sure you prepare yourself to deal with this. You probably want to:

• Talk with your child about the situation. Try to get all the angles, and ask questions. Get the whole story (from their point of view).
• Try to keep calm and analyze the posible prequel to you child’s story. What could’ve happened before what happened.
• Accept the possibility that your child is either wrong or lying. Not always the victim.
• Be there for your child. Remind them that your job is to protect and care for them and talking with the teacher will help in making sure the situation will not happen again.
• Remain calm and use your diplomacy when having that chat. As impossible as it may be, try to maintain an objective posture. Try to look at things from a stranger’s point of view.
• Finally, discuss the solution or the findings with your child. Ensure them that things will improve, with the work of all parties involved. Also remind them to tell you if it happens again.

A difficult situation to be in, but imagine how much more difficult it must be for your child. Be understanding and patient. And although we tend to side with our child, consider that they could be wrong. Open up to them and allow the conversation to flow. If they won’t tell you because they are afraid you might reprimend them, try not to turn into Hulk. Keep calm and pursue your goal of finding out what happened. If need be, cancel punishment this time around. Think about the guts it took to stand up to their Hero (you) with their problem.

Has this happened to you? Have you done things differently? Have you something to add? Do so in the comments below! We’d love to hear it!

Need more tips on this subject? Here’s a listing of good articles you may wish to read.