The parents know their child better than the school and they may provide some innovative ways to work with their student. The practical guide to managing difficult parents cpd for. This is a classic book that can help adult children deal with parents who are making them feel stressed, guilty, and pushed to their emotional breaking point. As most people who work in the field of education understand, dealing with difficult parents at school can be a tricky subject. Strategies for parenting children with difficult temperament. Parents of difficult children need to be nice themselves when it comes to. You cant improve your communication with difficult parents without. Dealing with difficult parents take these steps to keep your cool at school. Its not easy when you have to deal with difficult teenagers in your life, whether they are your children, students, athletes, group members, or. If you have children and are a teacher or administrator, you have been at both sides of the table described in this book at some point. Whether youve been teaching for just a few weeks or several years, youve probably already seen or heard about the monster mothers or fuming fathers.
Today, if she had to make the same call, she thinks that half the time parents would be supportive, while the other half of the time, they would make excuses for their child. And while communication alone is not enough to win over difficult parents, it is your first defense in establishing a good working relationship. You are in a position where it is sometimes necessary to make difficult decisions, and parents will sometimes challenge those decisions, especially when it comes to student. Managing difficult parents can be one of the hardest parts about teaching. The book and my seminars on this topic address four major challenges and the strategies to deal with each one. As a school administrator or teacher, it is essential for a number of reasons to build relationships with the parents of your students. This course will show you positive ways to deal with the difficult conversations we all have and deal with breakdowns in communication. An updated version would be great because parents today who rely on electronic communication are very different than parents of 2001. Chapter 1 begins with some quotes from teachers and school administrators. Dealing with difficult parents edition 2 by todd whitaker. And yes, unfortunately, some parents are just difficult.
If you and the parents are both stuck for ideas or cant agree, it may be time to seek help from others. Feb 12, 2011 the kinds of parents discussed in this book are the minority but most of us will come across some parents that are harder to work with than others. Reach out with a positive message to start off on the right foot. Then you identify the best way to reach that child so he or she learns and enjoys it.
Jul 30, 2019 it is easier to deal with a parent if you can build a relationship with them before a difficult situation arises. It was geared more towards parents of students who are getting in trouble for something. Knowing how to deal with difficult parents should be part of every teachers skill set, so you can. A difficult child is often that way for a reason or multiple reasons. An educators survival guide for dealing with difficult parents. Tools to help you understand parents motivations and how to work with them rather than against them. It can be stressful dealing with difficult parents as a teacher. Whilst senior leaders might be able to calm parents down, they nevertheless find the experience wearing and time consuming. In the end, the labor it takes to successfully deal with resisters will pay offin accomplishing your goals and attaining a positive working culture. Apr 26, 20 in my seminars with educators on handling difficult parents the title of my book on this topic, i often begin by asking participants to call out words that come to mind which best describe parents who are difficult. Thankfully i have run into many more parents who may seem to be difficult on the outside, but once they realize everyone is working together, they let down those walls and true progress can be made for the student.
This book gives you great tips on how to deal with those who have gifted children, as well as most of the other conundrums teachers of today have to face from parents. Great book for helicopter parents and teachers who deal with parents every day. For the sake of simplicity, allow parents to refer to whoever has legal guardianship throughout the remainder of this article. Degree if difficult parents are adding to your teaching stress, keep your cool and use these tips. Working with difficult staff educational leadership. In this updated second edition of the bestselling dealing with difficult parents, awardwinning educators todd whitaker and douglas j. Its easy to dwell on negativity and begin to question your skills as a teacher. May 05, 2016 a teachers survival guide to dealing with parents.
This was a pretty basic book about dealing with difficult parents. I would highly recommend this book to any teacher of any grade level. May 04, 2012 10 best strategies for dealing with difficult parents most of us in education have had the misfortune of dealing with a difficult parent or family, had a conflict with a parent or student, or have been ambushed by an upset person in school. For the sake of simplicity, allow parents to refer to whoever has legal.
Less experienced teachers and secretarial staff often on the front line find it more difficult to deal with some parents who can be very intimidating or even aggressive. Dwelling on the past is something many co parents struggle with. Just because youre a new teacher doesnt mean you cant handle difficult parent problems like an old pro. More from education world dealing with difficult parents in dealing with difficult parents, doug fiore and todd whitaker offer strategies and techniques that make it easier to deal with seemingly difficult parents and with the difficult situations in which they find themselves. A hazard of our profession is dealing with difficult parents or guardians from time to time. Instead of worrying about how those parents perceive you, approach them and offer them the opportunity to join you as you help their child have the best year possible. Some are more suitable for younger children and others will be appreciated by tweens, but they all make difficult things easier to talk about and understand.
How to deal with difficult parents tips for teachers. Most of your students will finish up the year and move on to the next grade. As a school administrator or teacher, you arent always going to make everybody happy. According to a study done by the center for the study of teaching and policy, the stress of dealing with difficult parents is one of the top reasons teachers quit. Dealing with difficult parents priceless teaching strategies. Best kids picture books about difficult subjects theschoolrun. There are many different ways teachers need to respond to different situations, and using good judgment is more important than ever. How to deal with difficult parents, revisited middleweb. There are many great ways to wrap up the school year, but dealing with difficult parents isnt one of them. Every rule has an exception and no matter how consistent principals attempt to be, there are times when plans must be adjusted.
Dealing with difficult parents can be one of the most challenging aspects of teaching, yet when it works, it can be incredibly rewardingfor students as well as teachers. Temperament is indicated by behavior that clusters into three categories. Dealing with difficult parents is virtually impossible for any educator to escape. An eminently readable, funny, practical book on how. This book helps teachers, principals, superintendent. In tingleys online seminar, dealing with difficult parents. How to handle difficult parents 2nd ed proven solutions for teachers.
If the parents are on your side, then you typically will be able to do your job more effectively. The most frequent daily complaint i hear among teachers is trying to teach distracted, discouraged, and disrespectful students. How to handle difficult parents 2nd ed proven solutions for. Unfortunately, at some point in your teaching career, you will have encountered this awful situation.
I think teaching is one of the hardest and most important if not the. Dont pretend to be their best friend, nor should have that nipping problems in. Dealing with difficult parents, 2nd edition by todd whitaker and douglas j. Whitaker and fiore not only provide realworld advice designed to proactively create positive teacherparent relationships, but also offer powerful and specific strategies for remaining professional and effective even in the face of the most difficult circumstances. One thing ive learned in the dozen years that ive been teaching is that you can never communicate too much with your students parents. Strategies for parenting children with difficult temperament children are born with an inborn temperament,a preferred style of relating to people and events. A teachers survival guide suzanne capek tingley, judy larson on. All it takes is good communication skills and a little tact. Teachers of reddit, who was that difficult parent and how. Dealing with difficult teachers eye on education books. How to handle difficult parents is a funny, but pr. Dealing with difficult parents whitaker, todd, fiore, douglas j. Written by an administrator who was also a teacher, the book is also a source of support and understanding. The trick as a parent and educator is to uncover why.
It shows you how to deal with the parent who is bossy, volatile, argumentative, aggressive, or maybe the. Dealing with difficult parents is the ultimate howto guide for navigating the often rough seas of parental communication. As a first year teacher, i found this book after a few parentteacher meetings. Overcoming their hurtful legacy and reclaiming your life by susan forward. Detailed scripts for dealing with even the most stubborn and volatile parents. When you were considering becoming a teacher, you probably never dreamed of having to use teaching strategies to deal with a disrespectful parent. Dealing with difficult parents and with parents in difficult situations. Dealing with difficult parents independent schools portal. Fiore help you develop a repertoire of tools and skills for comfortable and effective interaction with parents.
Though there are many perks of being a teacher, you begin to realize that difficult parents kind of come with the teaching territory. Dealing with difficult parents requires that principals first deal with themselves. Working with difficult and resistant staff members is unavoidable if you want to make longlasting school changes. From sharing and the democratic process to divorce and bereavement, these picture books all tackle tricky subjects with warmth, humour and understanding. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Whether youre a teacher regular or special education or a coach, this book will give. In elementary, there are always parents in denial, so they dont get the kids tested, and they end up not getting the support they need. The 8 best parenting books for willful and spirited kids. Education coach and mother nicole ponsford offers advice on. Four teaching challenges and strategies to deal with them. Dealing with difficult parents effectively is truly an art dealing with difficult parents and their complaints about one or more aspects of their childs education is a normal expectation for all teachers. To help you head off potential problems before they arise or successfully deal with them if they do, weve outlined some typical.
310 1059 1451 349 1095 981 1488 779 305 70 1055 644 663 553 494 762 829 97 291 1517 736 185 384 1666 297 664 263 315 966 149 860 512 290