The Complaining Parent

The first year I taught at Onaway, I came in one morning to find Mr. Holmes waiting for me. "Your name came up at the board meeting last night," he said.

That didn't sound like happy news, and it wasn't.

"Mr. X came before the board to say that his son is failing your class because you won't give him a textbook."

News to me. I opened my grade book and showed him, after the kid's name, the number of the book I'd assigned him.

Luckily, that was the end of my troubles, but here's the thing: All that parent had to do was call me and ask. I'd have told him his son did have a history textbook. (We later found it in the library, where he'd left it.)

The board should not involve itself in day-to-day issues. Schools hire professionals--the superintendent, the principals, the heads of staff--to monitor situations, solve problems, and deal with disagreements over behavior or policy. I was fortunate that the school board at the time recognized that fact and referred the situation to Mr. Holmes.

School policy says that when a parent has a concern, they speak to the teacher first, then the principal if the problem can't be worked out with the teacher. Following chain of command means that little problems get solved early. If they don't, take the next step, but don't skip links in the chain.

So the next time you hear someone griping about what a teacher said or did or thinks, ask the person, "What did the teacher say when you spoke with them about it?"

Comments

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