Why didn’t you escort him back to his desk?
This type of question bugs me because it requires me to do something outside of my job requirements. And trust me, I know and understand that being a teacher requires so much more from us than to simply pass off information. It requires us to be adults, parents, examiners, practitioners, confidantes, police, comics, judge bailiff and jury, friends, fiends, uncles aunts sisters and brothers, neighbors, politicians, repairmen (and women), cooks, delivery people, janitors, drivers, aides, dancers, hosts, emcees, brethren, litigants, manufacturers, dumpster-divers, garbagemen, doctors, nurses, receptionists, lawyers, spokespeople, landscapers, architects, upholsterers, librarians, framers, directors and actors, and all the while function as unassuming commoners. But when it comes to being asked to do one of those jobs I get irate.
My simple answer was: I will not follow your son around the room. Because I will not accept that I am being asked to coddle or wipe.
The simple answer I got in return was a sigh.
Filed under: Education, Expectations, Parents, Rant, True Stuff
Oh lord,,,,,I can relate; parents seem to think that teachers should walk around with their sons and daughters with a wet rag to wipe their behinds. I find this infuriating, and offensive. During conferences, I generally keep my yap shut. The whole thing will ignite my ire, so rather than rant, I picture myself on a beach somewhere watching the wet sand move in and move out between my toes. Sadly, it’s the students I can handle; the parents, on the other hand, often need a reality check; the parents reveal a lot of why junior is the way he is.
Thank you for this post. Being the son of two former Detroit Public School teachers I know of these scenario’s all to well. A lot of parents want someone else to take responsibility for their child’s ill manners. By the way I am looking around for blogs about education. You may like my fathers blog.
Antonio Perez