Your child feels unfairly treated? Are they afraid of lessons with a particular teacher? Or are the results not satisfying? Problems with teachers are often stressful for the whole family and parents want to help in the child's best interest. But who should you talk to to help your child deal with the situation? Here's a step-by-step guide.
Encourage your child to speak to the teacher themselves. It depends on your child and the teacher whether an attempt is conceivable, but when they are old enough, it might be worth a shot. Many teachers are more approachable than you think!
Talk to the teacher before you take the next steps. Good school leaders expect problems to be discussed with the teacher concerned first. Ask for an appointment or go to the parents' consultation day. Most teachers are willing to help and appreciate parents kindly addressing problems. It is also an opportunity to get a picture of the situation yourself.
Take your child to the teacher consultation. They will probably ask your child for their view first. If your child doesn't dare to talk, you can support them. After that, the teacher gets a chance to share their perspective. A good conversation ends with both sides making agreements to improve the situation.
Talk to the Class Teacher, if necessary. If talking to a subject teacher doesn't help, ask the class teacher to support you. They have a different approach and can often assess the situation well.
Get the Parents' Representatives on Board. It can be helpful if the situation does not improve after having spoken to the teachers. Sometimes there are other children with similar problems. The representatives should address the issues with the class teacher again. Avoid sharing complaints in chat groups with all parents.
In Difficult Cases: Talk to the Principal. If the other measures do not lead to an improvement, a joint discussion with the principal may be indicated. A good head teacher will tackle the problem constructively, but they will also support the staff.
Last Resort: The School Board. This attempt should only be necessary in exceptional cases – when all other options have been exhausted. The school authority expects that problems are first addressed within the school and is therefore only responsible if the situation has become entrenched.
Keep in mind:
Believe what your child reports. But also listen to the teacher. Misunderstandings can be cleared up.
Most teachers take their pedagogical mission seriously and are sympathetic to your child.
Mistakes are inevitable.
Keep records of your interactions with the teacher or the school. It will help you keep an overview of the situation and in the unlikely event of needing to escalate.