Parent told teacher to stop threatening child by calling home

Being a teacher is one of the hardest jobs in the world. It’s certainly hard enough without parents intentionally working against you.

That’s exactly what happened to one teacher, who said the mother of her most problematic student wasn’t on her side at all.

The mother asked a teacher to stop telling her son that she would call home to report his bad behavior.

A teacher posted to Reddit seeking advice after having a negative interaction with one of her student’s mothers.

“This year I have a student who is new to school and he constantly needs to be the center of attention,” she said. “I’m constantly making jokes, calling out, teasing other students. He is very popular, so he holds great social power.

“His mother is very hot and very cold,” she continued. “Sometimes she can be very supportive; sometimes she acts like I’m enemy number one.

The professor explained why this had been such a big problem lately. “Recently we were on lockdown and (the) child was extremely disruptive and dangerous,” she shared. “We were locked up for an hour. There was a real gun in our building, and this kid didn’t care.

After this worrying situation, the teacher’s relationship with the student’s mother deteriorated further.

“Mom texted asking for the principal’s contact information and I gave it to her,” she said. “She then told me: ‘Don’t threaten my child by calling me.’ »

The teacher explained what the mother meant when she asked her not to “threaten” her son.

“Often when my child misbehaves, I will say, ‘If behavior to call them home today.’ ,'” she says.

“Is this a threat?” » she asked, confused and worried.

The professor’s fellow Reddit users had a lot to say on the subject.

This teacher’s fellow Reddit users and teachers couldn’t understand why a parent would act this way, although they weren’t too surprised.

“Tell them it wasn’t a threat, you were reminding them of class expectations,” one said.

Another teacher recommended involving school administration. “I will let the principal know that you are not threatening the child. You were simply reminding the child of the consequences if their behavior continued. And (then) let the director deal with it,” they said.

“If consequences for actions are given from the start and someone commits an offense, reminding them of the consequences is not a threat; It’s a courtesy,” said another.

It is perfectly acceptable for teachers to call parents.

According to Edutopia, it’s perfectly acceptable to call a student’s parent(s) if you are a teacher. In fact, it’s even encouraged.

“Calling parents can often be one of the most powerful and useful tools in your management toolbox,” they said.

It is also understandable that parents may not be as receptive to these phone calls as one might hope.