Are you a parent who dreads talking with a teacher about your child?Or are you a teacher who dreads talking with a parent about a child. this blog is for you! I used my almost thirty years of dealing with both, and I composed the list below hopefully to make the whole process much easier

1. My child is not a number, a score, or a statistic.
2. I want a great education for my child even if I did not care about it when I was in school.
3. I trust you to care about my child, individually, and personally.
4. I don’t want you to indoctrinate my child with your values – religious or political. That is my job.
5. Most of the time, I do the very best I know how to do for my child. Sometimes I fail. It is not on purpose.
6. I want to help my child learn; teach me how.
7. If you must discipline my child, it is OK to believe the teacher, but please get her side of the story.
8. Please don’t embarrass my child in front of his friends.
9. Respect that I may have set times for my child to do his homework and go to bed, and if you give too much homework, blame me for limiting how much time my child can spend on it.
10. I want my child to know and understand everyday exactly what he is supposed to learn in every class so that he can tell it back to me when he gets home.
11. Please remember that the one constant thing about children is that they act like children. Immaturity comes with the territory, and it bugs me at home, too!
12. If I send you my special needs child, please don’t let policies keep you from doing the right thing. She is likely the only special needs child that I have, and I don’t have a clue about how to give her what she needs, but you are trained to do just that.
13. Never, ever tell my child what she cannot do. Chances are she can learn everything you want, if given enough time and if you come at it differently.
14. I may work with my hands to provide for my family and there is great honor in that.
15. I want my child to behave, even if I didn’t.
16. I don’t want my child to be treated equally, I want them treated fairly.
17. If my child misbehaves, fails to complete homework, or does poorly on a test, I want you to call me immediately. I can straighten that out.
18. If my child is an athlete don’t hold that against her. It may be the only string she is holding on to.
19. Getting a free lunch does not mean my child is stupid, ill bred, or unimportant.
20. If you find when my child is in your class that he cannot read, please find out why right then, and do something about it.
21. If my child is from the inner city; I bet he can catch a bus to anywhere he wants to go. I bet you can’t!
22. I expect every teacher every year to be as competent and professional as my doctors.
23. My child should never be harassed or bullied. If they are, I want to know immediately
24. A good teacher is more important than technology to me.
25. I am not your enemy. Don’t be afraid of me if I ask for a conference.

My former superintendent in Alexander City, Alabama, Dr. Paul Fanning, used to remind us principals often in his slow north Alabama drawl, “Remember, parents send us the best children they have. They don’t keep the good ones at home.” Amen, Dr. Paul. Amen.