What kind of school parent will you be?

just curious?? I'm a teacher and always hated when I had to speak with parents who had the "my kid does no wrong" way of parenting. When I was in school, if I got in trouble it was, What did you do?!? Now I often hear, "what did YOU do (as in what did you as the teacher do) I think i'll know when the school is being unfair to my kid, but I also know my kid will probably lie to me to get himself out of trouble. All kids do this.

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

My mom was a teacher and ALWAYS took the side of my teachers. It really bugged me, but now I bet I will do the same

I've seen so many parents who want such special treatment. Honestly though, being a parent now I see things differently and might be more understanding to parents. I was little by the books before I had DS

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

DS is in Pre-K, so we're getting a preview of how we'll be. We usually lean heavily on what the teacher says, but definitely listen to what DS says. My sister is a teacher, so we hear a lot about parents and parenting from her, and we definitely don't want to be "helicopter parents", look for special treatment, or believe DS 100%.

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

I "think" that I will weigh what the teacher says heavily, but I won't take it as the absolute truth. Even with kids and adults there are 3 versions to the story- the adults version, my child's version, and the truth somewhere in the middle.

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

I will give the teacher a fair shake, but as a former HS counselor, I know that teachers are not infallible. I still would expect my child to behave in a way that would never warrant a call home from a teacher and he will know that, but there are some instances where a child needs someone to stand up for him or her too.

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

I always take the teacher's side.

I know my kid's not perfect.

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

I'm a teacher too & like OP said, I see so many parents that say, "not my child" or they put it on another child in the class....well, b/c of him my son is doing that.

It's not like the old days....if my parents went to school the teacher's word was gold & we always had to fess up.

I don't believe that is correct either...yet I will definitely hear what the teacher is saying & then listen to my child as well.

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

I am not sure, but I'll tell you this, I'm not going to be the type to call the school every five minutes or the type to make excuses for my children. As a teacher, I've seen some WINNERS!

Honestly, I'll probably side with the teacher on most things...but I won't have to worry because my children will be the smartest and best behaved in all of their classes!

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

Both DH and I were the type of kids (and adults) that were respectful to authority figures and we knew that our parents would look to us for what we did wrong over anyone else...that included other kids.

I do want my son to have the same values...take responsibility for the consequences of his actions and know that we expect him to show the utmost respect, follow the rules and be a good person. However, I also want him to know that he can talk to us and that we will not dismiss him - we will listen and we will always be an advocate for him...I guess we need to find the right balance.

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

I would take what the teacher had to say seriously, but I would also talk to DS. I used to work with teachers, and some were absolutely wonderful. Others left much to be desired. So it would depend upon which kind of teacher he had. Even with a dud teacher though, I would listen to what he/she had to say.

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

As a mom with school aged children I can tell you what type of parent I am...

90% of the time I take the side of the teacher. There has honestly only been a handful of times that I have called and made an excuse or requested that things be handled differently...My DH is a teacher so I usually run things by him first and see what he thinks from his point of view...My girls arent little angels at home so why should I think that things are any different at school???

Im additionally big big big HUGE on them missing ANY school..we are working on year #3 on perfect attendence!!!! It may seem so insignifigant but it really really helps get them up and out of bed in the morning. Kids LOVE getting rewards and they get a certificate the last day of school. (knock on wood )

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

My parents never took my side, and I tend not to like authority figures....so guess what my answer is

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

Since I'm already there, I can tell you.

I think my son is a master manipulator & we call the school to get their side of the story. He usually will tell his version of the truth which turns out to be a half truth most of the time.

I do think there was one time where he completely got a raw deal because of the eqomanic Catholic school principal. We made the decision to switch him to public school.

It still disgusts me everytime I think about what happened - and how they blamed my son for something when the teachers & aides thought it was the child's father that caused the entire side of his child's face to be bruised.

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

I am totally with you....a teacher who has heard all of the excuses. I will never say not my child but I always want to make sure I get the full story.

Re: What kind of school parent will you be?

I have a pretty good kid that doesn't get into trouble and doesn't lie (other than about brushing his teeth ). There have been some instances that the teachers have completely blown out of proportion, or didn't witness altogether and I have taken DS's side because I know him best.