While harassment is usually performed by students toward students, teachers report harassment by parents.
While being a concerned and involved parent is a good thing, parents that don’t know when to let children take on responsibilities are becoming a problem in schools.
Helicopter Parents
Baltimore teachers are expressing concerns that parents are making their jobs more difficult. 60% of Baltimore teachers state they have been the victims of some form of harassment by parents.
Some parents have been given the title of "helicopter parents" because they hover over the school and supervise every detail of their child’s life. Some teachers report daily e-mails from parents filled with questions, complaints, and threats. This has prompted the Howard school system PTA in Baltimore to request that parents not send so many e-mails to teachers.
Getting Worse
While schools have always encouraged communication between home and school, it is reaching a level that is unmanageable by teachers. The school day is hardly long enough to respond to all the emails teachers receive. The problem is getting so large at Howard that teachers are actually leaving the school system to get away from demanding parents. This is especially true with affluent parents who see their children as a reflection on them as parents.
The idea of the helicopter parent is not new. Cornell University has been tracking this behavior since the 1980s when baby boomer parents began following their children to college. Parents were coming to college interviews and many suspected that they filled out the application forms and wrote the essays.
My Child Is Special
There is a mindset with some parents that the teacher has only one child in the classroom – theirs. Each student is important. And, when the child is not performing at a level that the parents feel is appropriate, the teacher is to blame. It seems to be forgotten that there could be up to 28 other students in the same room. And, perhaps it is the student that is not working up to potential. Some parents are badgering teachers with so many emails that it would be impossible to respond to each and every email.
On-Line Monitoring
Many schools are offering homework assignments and grading online. This leads to even more questions by parents. Very involved parents that help their children with their homework may take a low grade very personally and become overly assertive with the teacher. If grades do not appear instantly, parents e-mail asking why there has been a delay. It is also very tempting to become more aggressive in an e-mail than a face to face meeting with the teacher. It is very easy to be too emotional and push "send" only to regret what was stated.
Communication is great in moderation. Sending e-mails regarding only more serious concerns would be more appropriate.
Source: John-John Williams IV, The Baltimore Sun
Related articles: Parents Avoid Vaccinations
Read previous articles on Educational Issues.
Copyright article 2008 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
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