HomeArticlesWhat to do if you’re unhappy with your child’s teacher

What to do if you’re unhappy with your child’s teacher

You want your kids to feel safe, respected, heard, challenged, and understood while they’re at school. When you find that you or your child is unhappy with their teacher, you have to be proactive. Approaching the situation right away and with a solution-minded approach will help get the desired result.

One of the best things you can do to help close the distance between you and your child’s teacher and create positive change at your kid’s school is to call for an in-person meeting. This gets rid of the possible back and forth with emails and it allows you to form a relationship with the teacher and administrators.

There are several benefits to having an in-person meeting. This includes:

  • Getting to be at the school and seeing how things are run.
  • Communicating face to face.
  • Getting a response in a timely fashion. Sometime emails can get misconstrued or go unanswered.
  • Having follow through be prioritized simply because you cared enough to come in person.
  • It not being the teacher’s word versus yours. Ask that a Team Lead and/or Administrator be in attendance this way they will hear your concern and hopefully act on it immediately.
  • Putting faces to names helps close the distance and lets the school know that you want things to improve immediately.

To ensure the meeting runs smoothly, here are some additional things you can do:

  • Copy Administration on any initial emails. This allows for everyone on the team to be on the same page and things have less of a chance of getting misconstrued at this point.
  • Write down your questions/concerns. This will help you stay focused on what matters and hopefully alert the school to exactly what you want improved.
  • Have your child advocate for themself. Depending on the nature of the concern, having your child at any meeting can help them advocate for themself and see firsthand the benefit of having in-person interactions. Teaching your child to advocate for themself also increases their independence.

Building relationships should be paramount at any school. When the connection isn’t there, the likelihood of students addressing a concern/issue decreases dramatically. It just doesn’t feel good when your kid’s teacher doesn’t know your kid’s strengths, hobbies, goals, etc.

If things don’t improve immediately and you don’t feel your concern is being addressed, there are lots of different educational options and opportunities to pursue. There’s something out there for everyone.

Curt Bobo
Curt Bobo
Curt Bobo has worked in social work for the past 32 years and is the Director of Student Services at Gateway Academy. He has lived in Phoenix since 1997, is married to his wife Orla, and has one incredible son Donovan, and two rescued pitbulls – Hippo and Sophie. To learn more about Gateway Academy visit gatewayacademy.us

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