Parents. In my years as a teacher, I have met many types of classroom parents. Some have been amazing people who made teaching their children even more rewarding.
Their support of my instruction and reinforcement of content at home was second to none. Then there are those parents. You know, the ones who will drive you up the wall. You know ⊠those parents.
Good and bad, here are 10 parents I can instantly recognizeâand I bet you can, too.
1. The âThis is My Only Childâ Parent
This parent means well. They really do. You can spot them quickly during the first week of school because they customarily send long emails to let you know their child is excited to take your class when really they are ones who are excited.
These parents are the ones that donât just drop the kid off but walk them to the classroom door. They can be ⊠a challenge, but I know deep down that they mean well.
2. The âThis is My Youngest of Fiveâ Parent
The âthis is my youngest of fiveâ parent comes in a few varieties. They can be just like âonly childâ parents, trying to protect their youngest. They can also be the parent who has âfigured outâ the system. These parents will not hesitate
to tell you about all four older siblingsâ bad experience with the school, as if you can somehow fix it. Or they can just be too tired to deal with their child. You know what they sayâthe youngest gets away with everything.
[contextly_auto_sidebar]
3. The âSports Are Lifeâ Parent.
I must admit that I generally like these parents until their respective sports season starts. These are the parents that you can talk to about your favorite team. (Hey, I like sports!) They are also the parent who will email you right
before game night, threatening to call the district or principal if you donât pass their child. Normally youâll meet with them right after theyâve left their second session of CrossFit. They are frequently armed with their high school
state championship ring and may even send their kid to school wearing a 1988 letterman jacket from their glory days. Proceed with caution.
4. The âI Know More Than Youâ Parent
If you had to pick a favorite kind of parent, it wouldnât be this one. These parents are some of the most difficult parents to deal with. They are often truly intelligent people. But they are something else I tell you! These parents will
argue about test questions, email articles to prove their point, and will tell you about ALL the typos on anything you send home. They make you wonder why they donât homeschool or just become a teacher themselves.
5. The âItâs Never My Childâs Faultâ Parent.
No matter what you do or how hard you work, these parents will always defend their childâs innocence. While you may wish they would disappear, they are here to stay! When their child earns a poor grade, itâs your fault. If their child
gets in trouble, itâs your fault. If their child trips and falls in the hallway, they will probably say you tripped them.
6. The âItâs Always My Childâs Faultâ Parent. Â
One the other hand, while itâs hard to handle the âitâs never my childâs faultâ parent, sometimes the âitâs always my childâs faultâ parent can be even more difficult. These parents make for very uncomfortable meetings. I will admit, for
my studentsâ sake, that I avoid contacting these parents. Iâm all for parent support of us teachers, but these parents normally take that to a scary extreme.
7. The âI Used to Be a Teacherâ Parent
Iâll admit that these parents usually make my eyes roll into the back of my head. As soon as I hear the words, âWell, you know, I used to be a teacher,â steam starts coming out of my ears, and Iâm all of a sudden only able to see red.
We have all been there. âI used to be a teacherâ is normally followed by some critique of your instructional technique, delivery, or lesson design. Iâve resolved to ask this parent the next time I meet them, âWhy arenât you still a
teacher? Couldnât hang?â OK, so I wonât really say that, but I know weâve all thought it!
8. The Invisible Parent
This is the parent that will show up to one open house and then disappear forever. You can call, email, and even try to make a home visit, but you will never see this parent during the school year. You may even forget they exist! Your
appreciation of this parent depends on the mix of other parents in your classes. If you have lots of âI used to be a teacherâ parents and âitâs never my childâs faultâ parents, you will love the invisible parent! However, if their
child wonât behave, turn in work, or really struggles, this parent can be tough to deal with.
9. The Unhinged Parent
Last but certainly not least is the unhinged parent. This parentâs reputation travels from grade to grade, school to school, and even city to city at times. They are the hardest parents to deal with and sometimes the hardest to spot because
they can look like an âI do my childâs homeworkâ parent, or an âItâs never my childâs faultâ parent. They can even be a mix of several of these parent personalities.
These parents send cryptic emails or show up to school at random times. They corner you to talk about grades at sporting events. These are the parents that try to friend you on Facebookânot because they want to be your friend, but because
they want to monitor your personal life. (Just ignore that Facebook request.)
10. The âI Do My Childâs Homeworkâ Parent
This parent is easy to spot, though you may never actually meet them in person. The âI do my childâs homeworkâ parent is oddly not ashamed of their actions. Most of the time, they do not even attempt to disguise the handwriting, as if
we canât tell the difference between sixth grade writing and someone with a college degree. I think that in the course of completing the childâs work for them, they must lose themselves in the content and forget their child doesnât
actually know what the word âaforementionedâ means or how to use it in a sentence.
While parents can be difficult to deal with, itâs important to remember that working with them is part of the job. Sure, youâre going to come across parents who are a little intense or overbearing, but at the end of the day, they love
their child. And they want the best for them, just like we do.
Do you have a story to share about one of these parent personalities? Come share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.Â
Plus,Teachers Share the Most Outrageous Requests Theyâve Received From Parents.
