Dos and Don’ts to Deal with Difficult Parents

Have you ever come across angry parents at School and had no idea how you could possibly deal with them? Well, now you’ll know exactly how to do so.

You need to understand something about dealing with difficult parents – these parents love their children educators like you need to understand that, be empathetic towards them.

Here are some Dos and Don’ts to help educators like you handle angry parents with dignity and grace:

Dos

1. Keep Calm and stay professional even if you feel fearful and defensive from within. Be empathetic towards them and make sure your emotions stay with you. If they yell, speak with them in a calm tone and they definitely will calm down.
2. Listen to the Parents and be true to them. .Sometimes, you’ll find solutions to problems in their anger itself. Since you’re one of the teachers dealing with difficult parents, you need to know how to listen to them without any judgements or sly comments. This can enflame temper.
3. Let the Parents Vent Get them to sit down. Ask them how they are doing.. What’s new in their lives and then move onto their children. As educators, we need to understand that parents are also growing with their kids. Ask them why they’re upset – Is it because of their personal reasons? If so, help them out, have short meetings with them every now and then!
4. Involve an Administrator like the Principal. Reason being, angry parents can always barge into their cabin and confront them. If you keep your Principal updated, she’ll be able to handle the situation very sensitively and smartly too.
5. Address Parents Concerns and make sure you investigate it. Assure them that you are serious about their concerns and will keep an eye on their kids, if required for their well- being. Always make parents feel valued and all their anger will fade away.
6. You can always take suggestions from them as to how your school can take care of their children. Sometimes, when you make them give suggestions, they’ll realize how difficult your lives are.
7. Document Conversations with Parents so that you can show it to them as evidence. When teachers dealing with angry parents, keep this in mind because you never know when the conversation turns into a lawsuit situation or a formal complaint. This way, you can protect yourself as well!

Don’ts

1. Make Sure you Never Panic or Get Defensive while talking to parents. Put on your confident teacher face because you cannot give them an upper hand no matter what!
2. Don’t Take Angry Parents Personally because at the end of the day, you’re a professional and a part of your job is to listen to their critique for professional development.
3. Don’t be Afraid to Stand for Yourself provided you’re correct. At the same time, if you’re at fault, let them know you’re sorry. This is the best way to know how to deal with difficult parents.
4. Don’t Argue with Parents especially, the ones who can’t accept their fault. At the end of the day, they’re one of your stakeholders and you do not want to annoy them!

I hope these Dos and Don’ts help you deal with angry parents professionally, with a touch of care.

Happy Teaching to You!