The ridiculous things parents say to teachers

IF YOU talk to any teacher, chances are they won’t hesitate to answer when you ask about the biggest challenge of their job.

Surprise: It’s parents.

Let me clarify by saying that most parents are beautiful. And they, along with their children, make the job a joy every single day. But there are also some parents who are — shall we say — the polar opposite, and boy, do some of them make an effort to wear down even the most devoted of educators.

Of course, some parents are well-meaning but just have unrealistic requests because they are oblivious to the demands of a classroom that contains more children than just their little one. But others are downright appalling with their level of disrespect.

Some even actively encourage their kids to be rude and tell the teacher where to shove it if they dare to suggest taking a seat. And yes, it’s getting worse.

I’ve witnessed parents call teachers c***s in front of their children, try to incite violence towards school staff on their Facebook page, and allow their children to spit at a teacher.

There is a whole range of bulls*** that teachers put up with on a regular basis in an attempt to provide an education to children, but here’s a small selection of the more bizarre, annoying and funny things parents have said to fellow teachers:

— Parents have given me permission to smack children and even tie them up, and have been quite shocked when I’ve explained the (obvious) reasons I won’t be doing that. (Year 2, Sydney)

— “You’ll need to feed her lunch every day.” (Kindergarten, Melbourne)

— “Our taxes pay your wages!” (Year 3, Sydney)

— “When are you going to teach my son to brush his teeth?” (Kindergarten, Sydney)

— During my first year of teaching a parent abused me for making their child sign a legal document without a parent present — it was their homework contract. (Year 5, Hobart)

— “You’re not doing anything about my child being bullied.” – Any time a parent used the word bullying when in fact their kid just had an argument or disagreement with another kid. (Year 3, Sydney)

— One parent asked to take a child home every single week after assembly to avoid them coming back again at 3pm, meaning he would miss an entire block of learning as well as recess. (Year 2, Sydney)

— One complained that her child didn’t get an award on presentation day, saying that her child had “worked his butt off all year for nothing!” (Year 2, Sydney)

— “Shouldn’t she know all her times tables by now?” (Year 2, Sydney)

— “His lunch needs to be heated up every day.” (Kindergarten, Melbourne)

— “He doesn’t drink water.” (Year 3, Melbourne)

— “I want my child to do everything all the other students do” — from the same parent who, after an incident, had said “Don’t make him do maths if it’s going to make him angry!” (Year 2, Sydney)

— “You have too many friends on Facebook.” — after they stalked my account. (Year 5, Sydney)

— I had some comments before taking children on camp, asking about what happens if another child forgets to take their Ritalin and the other kids suffer. Yes, they thought that children would be self-medicating. (Year 3, Sydney)

—“My child didn’t do anything wrong.” (always a popular one despite the parents not witnessing any of the related incidents) (K-6 teacher, Sydney)

— “My child always tells the truth” (Year 3, Melbourne)

— “This is my brother who lives in Egypt” (shows me a photo of an older, rather large man with a big ugly moustache) “He is looking for a wife. You would be good for him.” (Year 4, Sydney)

— “How do I get him to do what I say?” (Year 4, Sydney)

— “Why can’t my child read yet?” in week 5 of kindergarten. (Sydney)

— “Why did my child receive a C in English when he writes wonderful stories at home.” (Year 5, Sydney)

— “I’m too busy to read with my child.” (Less than five minutes of reading is all that’s required) (Kindergarten, Melbourne)