Parents and Teachers: The Real Classroom Drama

I had a math teacher my senior year of high school who I always respected, most of the teachers that I spoke with outside of class spoke to me like I was a person. One day during class I had taken out my insulin pump to check on something on it, and it kind of looked like a cell phone. This teacher told me cell phones were not permitted in class, and when I explained that it was my insulin pump she apologized. I knew she wasn't trying to be mean, just following the rules.

There’s a woman at my kids’ school whose daughter is “allergic” to scented things and cannot even touch dairy. She provided the first box of baby wipes for all of the students to wipe their hands with after lunch (why is your daughter being touched by all of her classmates to the point of needing to wipe if there’s a drop of milk on their hands?). I overheard her speaking with the school nurse about the wipes the school ordered. They were paraben free, but scented. Tell me how it’s anything other than being a picky over the top momster that she sniffed the wipes and said “that should be fine”.

Okay so then she isn’t allergic to scented things!!!!! Tell your daughter to stop holding hands with all the boys if you’re so worried about milk on their hands! Insanity.

Now the cost offset is every single kid has to pay in to participate in their grade’s field trip. Effectively every single other parent is paying for these unnecessary wipes. If she wants them so bad she can buy them and the 6 year olds can go to the pumpkin patch. I’m gonna throw up when I see all of the kid’s whose parents never see any of the notices are held back from the field trip because they didn’t bring in money for a pack of wipes each. I try my best to send extra in for things like the book swap where if the student doesn’t bring a book they don’t participate and ensure all of the student’s in my kid’s classes aren’t left out but I draw the line at what will likely be over $50 to ensure that.

Fun fact: we see the colors that and object ISN'T (I.e. the color of an object is the colors of light that are reflected off that object; in truth, the object is the color of the light it absorbs).

See a white car? The surface of that car is actually bouncing ALL light off of it, so it has no colour at all. Red bow? The bow is actually hued blue and is bouncing the red light off itself and back at your eyes).

"I remember a time when someone told me that I wouldn't be a good teacher until I became a parent. It was a surprising and somewhat disheartening comment, as it seemed to imply that only parents could truly understand and connect with students. However, I believe that empathy, understanding, and dedication are qualities that make a good teacher, regardless of parental status."

When the older kid is medicated and "an angel" but the younger kid is unmedicated and "a problem." Ugh

I'm a teacher, and several years ago I reacted badly to a student. I had a human moment, and really hurt this student's feelings. Parent/teacher conferences were the next week, and the very first thing I did was apologize to the parent and again to the student. It's never fun, but she was so receptive to me taking responsibility and facing it. We had a great relationship after that, and I also won more respect from my principal. That's not why I did it, I'm just saying that doing the right thing can have positive effects.

I am not a teacher, nor am I an adult yet but I love listening to this podcast☺

Most parents are cool and supportive. It’s frustrating when parents add to the chaos their children caused in the classroom. I don’t understand the few parents defending texting their kid when a teacher is trying to teach a lesson then become hostile when they’re told it’s a distraction to learning

XYZ
PDQ
Examine Your Zipper
Pretty Dang Quick!

I had a parent of my first grade student tell me that if he could teach his son to read tarot cards, I should be able to teach him to read. This parent also came to my classroom during a lesson with handcuffs and duct tape. He told me that if I couldn’t control his son, he would. It was traumatizing, to say the least.

It's "this is an a and b conversation and i am gonna c my way out". Sweet handsome boy lmao!

Humans make mistakes the best thing you can do is learn from them and apologize if it affected someone. People need to remember that it takes a village to raise a child and teachers are part of that village. Schools provide students with additional trusted adults that can help them navigate the world we live in.

“Zip up your pouch because your pencils are going to fall out” 😂 🤭 Bri is awesome!

I will say when it comes to the poop , I could see it when it comes to the special education students but besides that it really doesn’t make much sense

Boundaries with parents = Schedule send is 👏 your 👏 friend👏! Type that email whenever it helps you, to be able to sleep or whatever, but Schedule Send for 8am so the parent doesn't expect you to be available at all times.

We had this parent that is a DIL of a late politician who always threatens us whenever her children's grade don't go up or goes up by one point only.

And it's pretty annoying, that's why majority of us newly hired teachers last SY, decided to resign due to the stress that she's giving us.

When it came to separate custody parent teacher conferences, my parents knew they couldn’t stand to be in the same room as each other, let alone talk to a teacher together, I just had to schedule two separate meetings, it sucked. But it was better than having to deal with arguments.

After listening to your podcast, I had to tell you my most recent conference. After over 20 years, I asked parents in for a conference to discuss their child touching themselves in class! Yes, that was how I put it to them. I teach third grade and the child has a 504 plan so he must sit upfront. I very gently made them aware that I would see him touching himself while I was teaching! I explained that by third grade the children are aware of others behavior. The mom started crying and then looked at the dad and told him he needed to take care of it!! Talk about awkward! I did receive a message the next day, thanking me for discussing such a difficult topic. All in a days work?!

Parent here but not a teacher. I have 2 kids. Both of them act very differently at school then they do at home. Sometimes, I forget that who the teachers are seeing isn't really the kid who I have at home.

I can deal with any parent in person. The one thing that almost knocked me to the ground —for the first time ever, recently— was being blasted in a FB parent group with bold-faced lies. Not one single accusation was true. In fact, ludicrous. Thankfully, admin backed me up and was kind and supportive of me. Realistically, I know that people who know me would never believe these things she posted. But those who replied to her post with angry responses and comments would never know that she was accusing with blatant lies. How do we deal with this growing problem in the future?

I was a teen with Ulcerative Colitis. Chronic colonic condition. It necessitated poop checks. I was 16 when I was diagnosed. If my pooped had to be checked, that would have been for the NURSE not my teacher! Thank god I could check myself.

The loudest voices in the room are not always the correct one! We have to give each other grace and space to do the right thing with the kids.
Just a side: Is there no more crying in my car?❤

It’s a power move to stand at the parent teacher conference but an even bigger power move as the teacher to be like “btw your zipper is down anyways”

As a teacher the hardest part of working with parents for me is when they discredit the observations I have because I’m in my 30s and don’t have children. That to me is one of the biggest struggles and then they get upset when their child isn’t getting the grades they feel they deserve. It’s very disheartening.

I have parents who get upset with me for not responding on the weekends or outside contract hours. According to them, I should be available during the times that they want to talk because it is my job.

I feel like saying "you too" on a flight is a lot less embarrassing than in other service jobs. Wait staff aren't sharing the meal with you but flight attendants are at least on the same flight with you.

I enjoy hearing about how much parents have unconditional love toward their children. I wish it would last beyond a child’s tender years. I don’t know what it’s like for others, but in my experience as time goes on, that love seems increasingly more conditional to point where I wonder how much love is left 😢

Bri everyone has nipples because everyone has an X chromosome it’s the sperm determines XX or XY

I am in my 22nd year of teaching 5th grade. Concerning the comment about loving it when parents leave us alone because it means they trust us, ummm not necessarily so. I have had parents that left me alone a lot in the past several years. It wasn't because they trusted me. They were completely checked out as a parent. I have had students who were struggling, I would contact the parent repeatedly, in a variety of ways, and get no response. It is just sad! Where I am at, and uninvolved parent, most of the time means a checked out parent. I would rather have an involved parent that can get on my nerves that to have the checked out parent.

THE OG GANG IS BACCCKK

Idk if anyone id say this to would click to what I mean but I say XYZ 'examine your zipper'😂

I had a parent tell me her kid couldn't learn another language because it would make him slow and confused since he already knew another language.

they were very politically correct with this conversation.

That segment on the zipper had me rolling 🤣🤣🤣

I am Facebook friends with several of my kids' teachers, but never WHILE they taught my kids. I'll find them, maybe, and we're friendly, but it feels innappropriate to be friends with them while they are my child's teacher. Afterward, when my kid is in an older grade, sure, because they're done being in that role so now we can be friends and later they can be his parents' friend.

I love the way you try to pronounce Glasgow 😂😂😂😂 (for future reference it’s glaz go. Like glass and then go like to go somewhere) 😂😂😂😂

IPA = INDIA (not Indiana) Pale Ale, its very hoppy therefore very bitter! YUCK

I was friends with my son’s 2nd grade teacher. She was so cool. We would hang out together on weekends and my husband maintained her lawn. Unfortunately she was in a fatal accident. I was devastated. We had plans the weekend after it happened. My son asked to go to her service. We got him a little pillow w flowers that we put in her casket. I miss her to this day and this was almost 30 years ago 😞

How do you guys feel about teachers being friends with students? I had a high school teacher (we are both females) and my friends and I would hang out with her and go to her house and I’m still very close to her this day over 10 years later. I have had some ppl say it’s weird but I always looked at it as a second mom who cares about us since she never had kids. Same way as I see my close friends parents as my own

I am the administrator of a small private school. We were interviewing a family with separated parents. Dad just learned that Mom was 'unschooling' their kids and was starting a custody battle because he wanted his kids to get an education. I'm not sure why she was there, but every time he started talking about education, she rolled her eyes at US as if we (school administrators/teachers) would be on her side and agreeing that his desire for a real education for their kids was ridiculous.

Among the the worst behaved of these groups:
When I was a student-teacher many years ago I learned: The parents are worse than the students.
Last year, returning to teaching after a very long time I learned an even more shocking lesson: Parents who are also teachers are worse than regulars parents. They know where to put the knife in.
I truly would have predicted none of this before entering the profession.

For the ones that don't have kids yet, there will be challenging times once u have kids...

The city in England isn't pronounced the same as the city in Alabama. In England it's pronounced Bir MING Um. I know because I have a friend who lives over there. Great podcast and I love listening to Bre, she cracks me up!

I'm not a teacher, but I love you guys. We were blessed with a small rural school. 1 class per grade. Having had my oldest already go through elementary school, I trust every teacher in that building with my youngest. 😊❤

I have coworkers who are my friends and they have kids who have been or are my students. Small schools and communities sometimes you can’t separate.

ok i grew up in both save eras, when auto save came about, BLESSED! i wish sims would learn 😂

I think the vast majority of teachers are good at what they do and can be trusted but we all remember that one teacher that just was'nt so to assume parents are going to just trust teachers is unreasonable. It usuallytake me about half the school year to decide my opinion on my child's teacher.