What to Do When you Don’t Like your Child’s New Teacher

Filip Pticek

Teachers are professionals who are often under-appreciated and overworked and they should be respected at every turn. But, we are all human and sooner or later you will meet a teacher that you can’t get along with. Perhaps your differences are simple incompatibility or perhaps you disagree on discipline or strategy; whatever your issue, be respectful and kind so your child continues to benefit from their expertise.

The first step is to try to look at the situation calmly and impartially. This may mean admitting that your little angel isn’t perfect, or that you dealt poorly with a situation, but remember that it’s your child’s academic future that you need to support, not your own interests.

Be respectful

Always be respectful when talking to teachers and about them. Negative comments about teachers which your child overhears can cause them to lose respect for that teacher. This will negatively affect their relationship with their teacher whom they still have to see on a daily basis.

Be Professional

Keep the channels of communication open. Ensure that your child’s teacher knows who you are and is able to reach you when they need to discuss issues or concerns. Always keep a professional tone and avoid dealing with issues when you are emotional or angry. Instead, wait until you can calmly and rationally discuss problems. Always talk to the teacher first before consulting a higher authority. Giving them the opportunity to resolve issues themselves will prevent resentment.

Be a Good Listener

When students aren’t performing as well as they should, it’s very easy for them to blame the teacher. If there has been an incident or your child is not getting the grades you would like them to get, give the teacher an opportunity to share their side of the story. They have insight to how your child behaves in class that you don’t. Children often behave very differently in a classroom situation when they are around their peers. Teachers have more experience in dealing with behavioral and academic issues and they have some valuable insights into your student’s behavior. Always endeavor to get the teacher’s side of the story and treat them with the trust and respect they deserve.

Dealing with Issues

Every parent wants their child to have the best possible academic opportunity and if you have exhausted every other option, you may need to move your child to another class. Dealing with difficulty is also a good life lesson. When dealing with teachers and issues, be an excellent example for your children and don’t be too quick to move them. Remember that they will have to deal with people they don’t get along with in other situations; perhaps there are bullies in their school or one day they will have a manager they don’t like. Learning how to deal with conflict and with people they don’t get along with is a great life lesson.