Do You Have a Problem With Your Child's Teacher?

Picture this: your child comes home from school crying, not because of what another child has said or done to them, but because of what their teacher has done to your child. Most anyone who has had a child can appreciate this and most of us have had the same experience.

Most teachers are great but alas, they are only human and if you have a problem with your child's teacher, you need to put a stop to it immediately so your child will not incur any more damage. The important thing to remember is that you should not say anything negative about the teacher in front of your child. A teacher is an authority figure and should be treated as such by your child. If you undermine this authority, the teacher and your child may end up encountering more problems down the road.

How do you deal with problems with a teacher? First, access the situation. Is it a problem that can be dealt with at home or does further action need to be taken? Here are a few ideas that you can use that might help alleviate the situation:

-Document what has happened to your child. Date and write down the incident of what happened. Of course it will be your child's word against the teacher, but you will need to have a record of incidents when talking to either the teacher or the principal. Get a thorough explanation from your child and encourage that they be completely honest.

-Talk to the teacher. Our oldest daughter had a problem with her music teacher last year. We made an appointment with him and it turned out to be a simple misunderstanding on both parts. It may be a good idea for the three of you to sit down together and discuss the situation.

-If talking to the teacher won't help, make an appointment and talk to the principal. If you are fortunate, the principal will be very approachable, quite helpful and will assist you in dealing with the specific teacher. He will hear both sides of the story and base his judgment on that.

-If you are having problems at the highest level, go to the school board. They are there to help you. Contact them and talk them about your issues and they will help you and your child the best they can. It may turn out that your student needs to be moved to a different classroom or disciplinarian action be taken against the teacher.

Do not delay, if your child has a problem with a teacher. It is best to tackle the problem immediately and not let it fester. Both you and your child will be better in the long run for it!