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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The week teacher assignments came out one parent emailed to discuss her child. I agreed to do so but now it’s turned into emails daily if not more than one a day. I typically respond at the end of the day but that is not enough as her employer expects a prompt response from her therefore she expects the same from me. I reminded her that I teach throughout the day and don’t have access to email. She then went as far to request my daily schedule so she could “better time her correspondence to ensure a prompt response.”

I’m not a new teacher so this doesn’t rattle me as it would have 15 years ago. I spoke to the child’s teacher from last year and there was eventually an intervention with the assistant head of school.

Her child has no special needs that have been publicly disclosed so it’s not even related to accommodations, just touching base on how I am supporting learning needs, offering challenges specific to the strengths of her DD, etc. Less than a week of school and my inbox is already full![/quote]

Dear Mrs. Smith,

I am so glad that you are so invested in Larla's success in the classroom.  I appreciate your desire for prompt and regular communication from me, but unfortunately with 25 students, a full-time teaching schedule and all the administrative duties, I do not have time to have daily communication with every parent.  Please continue to send your messages to me and I will review them and respond as my other duties allow.  When there is an urgent need, I will communicate with you promptly.  Thank you for your understanding.

Mrs. Jones.[/quote]

NP   Seems simple doesn't it?  Doesn't work.  Trust me.  You have no idea.

Thankfully 90% of parents are not like that.  Teacher's do appreciate those parents a lot, but they are just appreciating you for being normal and reasonable.  That's kind of a low bar but some parents can't reach it.[/quote]

Yes, I do understand that the overbearing parent will push back on this.  The trick is to actually follow-through.  She sends emails and you respond when you can.  If that's once or twice a week, so be it.  And under no circumstances do you give your phone number or your schedule to her.  If you do need to call her, you call from the school phone, even if it means you have to walk all the way to the office to make sure that you only use a phone that gives the school main office number (in our school, all of the phones in the school have caller ID that is the school main office number, so there is no callback number other than the front office).

If she has a problem with your response, then she is welcome to raise it to your school principal.  Hopefully your school principal has your back and will support you.  If not, then you ask the school principal which of the mandatory meetings/training or state mandated reports you are allowed to delay in order to spend the time giving this parent daily feedback on her snowflake.

In this case, with limited communication means (e.g. only the school number and only email for direct communication with you), there is a limit to how much she can push back on you without your permission or without the concurrence of your school administrator.[/quote]

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