How to Deal with a Mean Teacher

When my oldest son went to the fourth grade I entered the school year with the same optimism I have every year. I hoped to join the PTA, build a cordial relationship with his teacher and most importantly support my boy in having the most educationally stimulating fourth grade experience possible.

And for the first two months that's exactly what I did, but I sensed some tension between his teacher and I. Trips to the school every other week for a progress and problem update and emails to ensure all homework was complete were not welcomed by his fourth grade teacher as they were in previous school years. It seemed like every time I attempted to build a positive teacher-parent relationship with Mr. Fourth Grade, I was brushed off or given the “what’s so special about your child” look. So, by Christmas break I knew there was no chance of having a friendly relationship with this teacher. This meant, I needed to develop some strategies for dealing with a non-engaged teacher.

‍1. No Negativity

Teachers can use parent/kid tension to discourage parent participation. Once a parent begins to equate their visits to the school with negative behavior, they are more likely to keep their distance.

2. No Emails:

Misconstrued emails can become written fodder for the playground of teachers at your kids school, and can set precedent for the teacher’s excuse to no longer deal with you.

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