Apathetic+Parents

=4. How do I work with parents who seem to not care?=

After browsing the resources about working with parents, negotiate with your group five key concepts to remember when dealing with difficult parents. Draw upon suggestions from the readings. You can negotiate your "top 5" in writing or f2f.

5 Key Concepts to Remember about Working with Parents
1. Focus on the common denominator -- the child.

2. Be persistent.

3. Do the background check. Find out the family situation, working situation of parents, etc. It could be far more involved than a parent not caring.

4. Get back-up. Find another teacher, an administrator, etc. and present yourselves as a team ready to help the student.

5. Be empathetic. Put yourself in the parent's shoes and find a solution that fits the (oftentimes unique) situation.

Scenario
Mrs. Johnson is a first year high school French teacher. She has a student who seems to be intentionally failing the class. This student never does homework and her in-class work is hardly acceptable. The parent, a single parent, seems to believe that if her child is un-motivated then there is nothing that she can do about it. She is just glad that her daughter is not getting in trouble outside of school. No gangs, no drugs, no trouble with the police - according to the parent, this is a success story. Mrs. Johnson has tried to set up numerous meetings in person with the parent, but she only seems to be available on the phone - if at all. Mrs. Johnson is beginning to feel defeated and is tempted to just let the student fail.

When you have your scenario, each person should draft a hypothetical email to the parent in response to the scenario. Write the emails on the discussion boards. Read your classmates' work and comment on it. Look at it from the point of view of the parent, the student, and an administrator. How does it come across? What suggestions do you have?