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What to Do When There's a Problem With Your Child's Teacher

You need to have a plan of action when you believe there's a problem with your child's teacher.

By Lisa Rosenthal, GreatSchools Senior Editor

Read this article in Spanish.

When your child has a great teacher, you are likely to see your child excited about learning and going to school. But what should you do if the teacher is not so great, if your child complains about the teacher or problems arise? It's best to remain calm and have a plan of action.

What to Do If Your Child Has a Problem With a Teacher
If you think there may be a problem, here's a plan of action:

More on GreatSchools.net

Gather the facts.
Try to remain objective and open-minded. If there is a problem, don?t immediately assume that it is entirely the teacher's fault; it could be a problem with your child or the school. If your school or teacher will allow it, sit in and observe what goes on in the classroom. If parent observation is not permitted, talk with other parents to see if their children are having problems. Also talk with parents whose child had this teacher in past years to determine if there is an ongoing problem.

Document the problems.
Write down the times and dates of incidents of a teacher's inappropriate behavior. If other parents are noticing problems, ask them to do the same.

Call or meet with the teacher.
Schedule a face-to-face meeting if you feel a phone call won't resolve the problem.

Approach the teacher as a professional and an ally.
Avoid a confrontational attitude and stick to the facts. Try to stay clear of personal criticism. Focus on classroom practices, curriculum and what you feel your child needs. Once you have had a conversation with the teacher, give him the opportunity and a fair amount of time to improve the situation.

Contact the principal.
If you don't see any progress after a few weeks, take your concerns to the principal. But be aware that it is always better if you can resolve the problem without involving the principal. Once you involve the principal, you cross a line, and your relationship and your child's relationship with the teacher will be forever changed.

Follow the school's policy.
Your school should have a policy on teacher-parent disagreements. Ask what the policy is and follow it. Give this process time to work.

Contact the district superintendent.
If you still haven't resolved the problem after speaking with the principal, contact the district superintendent. Ask what the district's policy is on evaluating teachers and how teachers are assigned to schools in the district. Gather other parents with you who are concerned about the teacher. Realize that this process takes time and may not end in a quick solution, but there is hope if you are persistent in working with other parents and continue to voice your concerns.

December 2006

Comments From GreatSchools.net Users

01/22/2008:

"This is helpful, but my kids are going to a preschool where the teacher is very negative. She is negative about my children (never tells us what good things they are going- only the bad) She also makes these negative statements right in front of my children. She's not engaging, enthusiastic or happy toward the kids. Shouldn't that be a must for being a preschool teacher! She also has sent a couple of disturbing emails to me- Accusing me of things without knowing the entire situation. Then, of course, sticking her foot in her mouth. I am obviously looking for a new preschool at the moment- It's really very frustrating knowing that there are teachers of small children out there like her."

01/17/2008:

"I was dealing with a 4th grade teacher (new to our school) who failed my daughter's 'report' because she did not accept any sentence that used the 1st person. This is an A student who came home crying because her paper was an F and filled with all red 'this is wrong' notes. My husband is a high school teacher and responded with a letter asking about the grading and Target learning requirements ... a bit aggressive. But when I handed her the note, she asked to talk to me. Then she held out the letter and said 'I'm not going to read this!' Followed by my 'excuse me'. Which then led to her ranting, and then telling the kids 'I'm not here to be your friend or your parents friends.' So we finally receive her response (principal requested) which is snide and asks if 'why we are doing this to her, is it because I'm black?' Oh my goodness! WELL, not even going there ... we conferenced and I cried, stating 'Every year we have requested that our girls are challenged, because we! want them to continue to LOVE learning'. She honestly didn't know why we objected to her inappropriate comments like 'Substitute is an idiot'. I am so frustrated! I am thinking homeschool, which I would have never thought before ... but she is just breaking the spirit of good kids who don't need their spirit broken. "

11/14/2007:

"I found this article helpful, though not exactly what I was looking for. I am looking for direction re: the following issue. My son is in 7th grade. He is in a 'pod' of threee classes of students that rotate among the same 3 teachers. One teacher in particular is very different from the other two. No assignment will be accepted late, not one hour, not one minute, not 'it's in my locker right outside the door' It is an immediate zero. She has told me she does not accept it and will not look at it or correct it. Where is the learning process here ?? Since this has happened to my child many times it would seem he has an organization problem (which I could confirm) Clearly the zeros are not changing the behavior. Everytime it happens I think he'll cry. Additionally, she assigns what seems to be eccessive writing assignments that seem to be on topics that are above new 7th graders. I feel too little time is spent on quality and too much on quantity. More than one of these assignments is related to entering contests (I had already started thinking she is trying to gain feathers in her c! ap through this process as some students have placed) I have expressed to her that my son was just released from speech last school year after 7 years and language development and thought articulation were/are an issue. I asked if she could recommend a tutor (no response). I am sharing my concerns with her and am VERY dussatisfied with her responses. Now what do I do?? I can see my child feels defeated and has difficulty with all his other classes as her class takes so much attention and effort. Concerned parent"