ADVICE TO A FUTURE TEACHER ON BULLYING
By Kristi Bruen
Dear Future Teacher, One of the most challenging things you will have to do in your career is to inform parents of an incident of bullying. Your role as a professional educator informing parents of bullying is not always black and white. However it is your job as a professional to attempt to apply the highest level of professional judgment. You must form clear boundaries and strong relationships with parents. You must first decide when to inform the parents and then use the best strategies to do so.
So under what circumstances do you contact parents? Peg Christenson states, “Formal notification is straight forward; it must be according to policy.” Parents need to be notified as soon …show more content…
The main point is to have open communication where everyone’s concerns are being addressed and that you are LISTENING to them. First I will advise you on talking with the victim’s parents. This is a difficult phone call to make as you are telling them your school has failed to keep their child safe. Therefore, your primary concern is to reassure them that their student feels safe and secure at school. You will be providing and will need to continue to provide interventions so their child’s learning environment is not affected. Some examples of interventions are: a safety plan (where they can go) if they feel they are being bullied, time with the guidance counselor, additional teacher monitoring areas of concern, and the victim has been informed to notify an adult if a situation crops up. Make sure the parent is aware that disciplinary actions have been taken on the other student, but you will need to respect the privacy of the other student and are not allowed to reveal their name. Finally ensure the parent that your school district takes all incidents of bullying very seriously and you are complying with your district bullying policy. Your goal is for every student to have an education that is safe, secure, and free from …show more content…
According to Michael Linsin, “any teachers, even seasoned veterans, have a fear of talking to parents about their child’s misbehavior.” He gives the following reasons, teachers are concerned the parents will get angry and defensive, parents will question their competence, and parents will complain and make demands. With that being said, your job is set the tone straight away. Your phone call needs be positive, friendly and businesslike. Remember your objective is to acquire parental support to work cooperatively with you in correcting a student’s misbehavior. You are dealing with the behavior not the student. Michael Linsin gives the following suggestions: Be friendly, maintain a friendly tone throughout the entire conversation. Inform the parents of the facts; do not interject your opinion unless asked. Watch your tone, maintain a professional atmosphere. Be direct; tell them the behavior you are seeing isn’t allowed in the classroom because it interferes with learning. Explain how you are handling it, let the parent know their child is being held accountable and what their consequences are. Be brief, as soon as you have finished explaining how the situation is being handled thank them for their support and remind them you are available if they have any other concerns about their child. When you are professional, your phone call will have more impact. The parent will be able to see you are concerned for their child’s
By Kristi Bruen
Dear Future Teacher, One of the most challenging things you will have to do in your career is to inform parents of an incident of bullying. Your role as a professional educator informing parents of bullying is not always black and white. However it is your job as a professional to attempt to apply the highest level of professional judgment. You must form clear boundaries and strong relationships with parents. You must first decide when to inform the parents and then use the best strategies to do so.
So under what circumstances do you contact parents? Peg Christenson states, “Formal notification is straight forward; it must be according to policy.” Parents need to be notified as soon …show more content…
The main point is to have open communication where everyone’s concerns are being addressed and that you are LISTENING to them. First I will advise you on talking with the victim’s parents. This is a difficult phone call to make as you are telling them your school has failed to keep their child safe. Therefore, your primary concern is to reassure them that their student feels safe and secure at school. You will be providing and will need to continue to provide interventions so their child’s learning environment is not affected. Some examples of interventions are: a safety plan (where they can go) if they feel they are being bullied, time with the guidance counselor, additional teacher monitoring areas of concern, and the victim has been informed to notify an adult if a situation crops up. Make sure the parent is aware that disciplinary actions have been taken on the other student, but you will need to respect the privacy of the other student and are not allowed to reveal their name. Finally ensure the parent that your school district takes all incidents of bullying very seriously and you are complying with your district bullying policy. Your goal is for every student to have an education that is safe, secure, and free from …show more content…
According to Michael Linsin, “any teachers, even seasoned veterans, have a fear of talking to parents about their child’s misbehavior.” He gives the following reasons, teachers are concerned the parents will get angry and defensive, parents will question their competence, and parents will complain and make demands. With that being said, your job is set the tone straight away. Your phone call needs be positive, friendly and businesslike. Remember your objective is to acquire parental support to work cooperatively with you in correcting a student’s misbehavior. You are dealing with the behavior not the student. Michael Linsin gives the following suggestions: Be friendly, maintain a friendly tone throughout the entire conversation. Inform the parents of the facts; do not interject your opinion unless asked. Watch your tone, maintain a professional atmosphere. Be direct; tell them the behavior you are seeing isn’t allowed in the classroom because it interferes with learning. Explain how you are handling it, let the parent know their child is being held accountable and what their consequences are. Be brief, as soon as you have finished explaining how the situation is being handled thank them for their support and remind them you are available if they have any other concerns about their child. When you are professional, your phone call will have more impact. The parent will be able to see you are concerned for their child’s