What are parents afraid to tell you?
October 14, 2009
BY BILL FERRIS
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas parent-teacher conference season. For a few parents, this is just a formality, the latest conversation in a year-long dialogue. Of course, a lot of parents will be meeting you for the first time, leading to all the hazards of first-time interactions — awkwardness, shyness, and occasionally, tension.
As long as you’re not talking, TheApple.com has some ideas regarding what you’re not talking about. Their list of 10 Things Parents Won’t Tell Teachers provides several unspoken irritations of parents. Take number three: “I’m a little bit scared of you.” A lot of parents haven’t been in school for several years, and they didn’t much care for it when they were there. Appearing unapproachable or stern in what they already perceive as a hostile environment can shut down the discussion before it begins. Other items include turning off your “teacher voice” when talking to parents, and remembering that a child’s actions don’t necessarily reflect what his or her parents believe.
Most of the list items are common sense (like my favorite, “Don’t expect my son to behave like a girl. They are different. Very very very different.”), but I still think these are worth reviewing. With tests, grading, and state and local standards to deal with every day, it’s easy to let interpersonal matters slide sometimes. A quick refresher before meeting a few dozen parents can go a long way to having more productive conversations, and hopefully, more parental involvement throughout the year.
10 Things Parents Won’t Tell Teachers
Photo credit: monicaA on Flickr.
