There are tons of reasons why I love teaching.  There is always something new to do with your students, the kids can be downright funny sometimes, and just seeing them learn and grow is a joy.  As joyful as teaching can be, I have had thoughts of not teaching anymore, and I swear, sometimes, it’s not the kids that make you want to quit…. it’s the parents!  There are so many types of parents that can make your life a living hell.  These parents can make you question your worth as an educator and your ability to educate your students. 

Through my years of teaching, I have had some great parents.  Ones that were willing to donate, volunteer, chaperone, bring food, buy gifts, and give praise and encouragement when they knew I needed it.  Teaching is stressful and for parents to recognize that and find ways to make your life easier is a blessing.  Then there’s the flip side.  You get parents who are hellbent on making you uncomfortable.  They find ways to discredit you, lie on you, make you a villain, and make you feel incompetent.   It’s these parents that make you not want to come to work. 

When I encounter these parents, there are lots of different emotions.  There’s anger, sadness, and shock that someone would look so deeply at you just to find flaws or to create them.  I can’t understand what drives this type of behavior.  Maybe it’s not knowing what is going on in your classroom (which can be remedied with a conversation), their inability to discipline their child if they have some behavioral challenges, or just plain old “I don’t like you”.  They do things like complain about you to administration while embellishing stories that they’ve heard or stories that they’ve made up.  They say that you are picking on their child or targeting them.  They also request to have their child removed from your class, as if you are the problem.  Seldomly, do they look at the behavior of their own children or work with you collaboratively to fix any issues.  They just want someone to blame; and sadly, it’s the teacher.  How do we cope with this?  How do we make our teaching experience enjoyable despite the animosity we face from some parents who don’t have our best interests at heart?  

What I find helpful is KNOWING. Knowing that you are not the problem.  Knowing that you are competent (you’re the one with the teaching degree).  Knowing that some people are just not nice.  Looking within yourself for what you deem are your best qualities and living in those positive thoughts will make you feel so much better.  Take some time to reflect on your best qualities and the things that make you a good teacher, but more importantly, a good person. During my most stressful times, I found that meditating and being able to clear my mind and breathe, was most helpful.  I was able to pull the things that I was most grateful for to the forefront and leave all the mess in the background.  Meditation can be a powerful tool, even if you’re not an expert.  Apps like Calm and Headspace are great places to start! 

Also, seeking out and being around people who celebrate what you have to offer can be helpful.  Coworkers and family members understand these situations and can offer insight and encouragement.  Celebrate and engage the parents and families that do love you.  Those are the people who will make sure you’re ok and confirm that you’re doing things right.