Like all professions, there are good teachers and there are bad teachers. Some can inspire your child to new heights while others allow negative outside factors affect how they handle their class. Whether they exhibit well-intentioned incompetence or they just happen to rub you the wrong way, sooner or later in your child’s scholarly career you’re likely to encounter an annoying teacher.
Lousy teachers may pass off much of the teaching to the parents via homework or generally complain about your child’s behavior when the truth is that they haven’t learned how to earn the respect of their pupils. While this isn’t necessarily the end of the world, it could make for an extra long and arduous year. So how do you handle a teacher that just isn’t up to snuff? Here are some methods to consider.
- Ignore them: Some people are complainers and teachers are no different. They may see the glass as half empty on the best of days and what they say may reflect more upon their character than that of your child. Take what they say with a grain of salt and deal with more important concerns instead.
- Work with them: Certain teachers may not know how to handle kids and instill respect; young teachers or those without kids may be particularly challenged at the beginning of their careers. Subtle hints, encouragement or support may go a long way towards showing them how to handle the kids in their class as well as the parents.
- Confront them: Make it clear that you’re disappointed with their approach to teaching your child. Bring up specific events or practices that you’re unhappy with and ask about the steps that can be made to address the situation. This doesn’t have to be an argument, but save this conversation for a parent/teacher meeting and not the middle of the hallway when you drop your child off in the morning.
- Talk to the principal: If you can’t seem to resolve the issue with the teacher or feel that they are tuning you out, this will crank things up a notch. Keep in mind when speaking with the school principal or the faculty representative that they will most likely stand up for the teacher rather than throw them under the bus. However, it should send the message loud and clear to the higher ups if the conflict has been kept under wraps by the teacher up until this point.
- Change classes or schools: If you’ve exhausted all the options and feel that the presence of the teacher is negative to you and your child, your last option is to switch to a different class (if possible) or a different school entirely. This may be the only recourse especially if you attend a school where the teacher has the same students for several years in a row.
The bottom line is that sometimes as a parent you might have to teach the teacher a thing or two.
