Within a month of starting my new teaching job last year, I was contacted, via e-mail, by a parent of one of my students who was failing. Her complaint was that the previous year with the other instructor, her son had a 100 average in this class - Broadcast Video Production I. Now that he is in BVP II, he's failing. She wanted to know why. The mistake I made was responding to her, via e-mail, by saying that I actually teach in this class. Well, boy, did that open up a can of pychopathic, vicious, deranged worms. She blasted back with how compassionate the former teacher was, how much he understood her son, and that the former teacher and his wife were friends of hers, they attended church together. Next thing I know, I'm visited by one of the Special Ed teachers explaining the situation with this parent. First of all, I didn't even know this student had an IEP because I had not been given access to it yet. Secondly, I should not have mentioned the skills, or lack thereof, of the former teacher, but rather informed her of the curriculum I was teaching and the lack of participation (and consciousness for that matter) on her son's part. Thirdly, I should have done it via phone. Our school policy is to try at all costs to have conversations with parents on the phone rather than by e-mail -- as this can, and will, be held against you in a court of law. E-mail content can be -- and often is -- misinterpretted.
I usually make it a habit to first contact a parent via e-mail that I would like to speak to them on the phone about their child. It's worked for me so far.
I feel your pain. Sometimes parents can vent with email when they don't have the facts. I limit my email contact with parents to just two sentences. Anything more and i make a phone call. parents complain that I have not posted their child's grade that day like the other teachers. Well Hello There! I do more that just sit at my desk and answer emails. Good Luck! Stick to own teaching style. The parent conference is still good with me.
ReplyDeleteWOW!!! I like the face to face contact or phone calls. You are so right when you say that emails can be misinterpreted. I always keep my emails short and sweet, closing with letting them know the best time to come in for a conference or to call my office. Sometimes this work and sometimes it does not but I just make sure I keep documentation.
ReplyDeleteI took Dr. Burns advice this summer to heart. She stated on at least two occasions this very problem. I will E-Mail, but only to make contact.Sometimes it seems everyone is looking for a scapegoat. Try not to make it you. I love how the parents see fault only in others. Our students are forty something in the nation and the press blames the teachers. They are looking for more accountabilty on us, yet tie our hands with paperwork, excuses for the student and no accountability for the student or parent. And we face classroom management problems daily with little recourse for the problem student. Somethings broken, it starts at home.
ReplyDelete