Situations happen, mistakes are made and some parent will just not be happy. We must be able to deal confidently with conflict. Here are some ways you can work with a disagreeable party:
- Listen and don’t interrupt. These parents have an important concern and need to be able to air it out. Remember, it’s about their child and so it is often filled with emotion. Hence, the less emotion you can have toward the situation, the less it can escalate.
- Show you care and acknowledge their concern. Parents want to see that their child is in good hands with a caring individual. Also, sharing that you are sorry the situation happened shows that you have empathy and are willing to work with them to find solutions.
- Keep your cool and be professional. Never be defensive or get angry back. Address their concerns the best you can. Sometimes you may need to apologize and take responsibility if you made a mistake. Face to face is best since you can lose the facts in translation through email. You are looking to build a relationship, not avoid and alienate.
Remember, the key is open and honest communication. Frontloading your class with information and consistently and constantly communicating can build rapport and trust with your VIP customers: your parents. This can prevent potential issues. And, when they do arise, you’ll be more prepared to make your parent a happy customer.
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More About Dr. Knight:
Stephanie Knight, EdD, is an experienced 7th and 8th grade English Language Arts educator. She inspires students to think critically and creatively. With that, she loves to see her students grow in their writing with expressive flair. She, herself, continues to work on her own writing process. Stephanie earned her Bachelor of Science in Business at the University of Colorado in Boulder, her certification in K-8, 7-12, English as a second language, English, Principal, and her doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Arizona State University. She taught in Title One schools for eight years helping them grow from underperforming to excelling, then in an independent school, and now is part of GCU’s adjunct faculty where she teaches graduate level education and reading courses. She continues to be committed to seeing the next generation of teachers be successful in educating our youth to a bright future.