Opinion: Two types of parents make life hell for teachers – the apathetic and the aggressive

TEACHING is a tough gig and those working to improve prospects for students deserve parental support, not aggression or apathy, writes Kylie Lang.

EXTREME parents are making life hell for educators.

These mums and dads typically fall into one of two camps – over-involved in their children’s school life to the point of having to refuel their helicopter every five minutes, or spectacularly uninterested.

Both are problematic – and not only for teachers, of course, but for the students themselves.

The latest parental furore is over the ditching of a handful of arts subjects at John Paul College in Daisy Hill, south of Brisbane.

New principal Karen Spiller, a highly respected educator who previously elevated St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School in Corinda to one of Queensland’s top academic achievers, wants to concentrate more on traditional academic subjects. With good reason.

John Paul College has performed poorly in the OP score benchmarking system that determines tertiary placements.

The latest parental furore is over the ditching of a handful of arts subjects at John Paul College, south of Brisbane, where a new principal wants to concentrate more on traditional academic subjects.

Many graduating seniors have failed to qualify for their chosen university courses and have been forced to follow alternative pathways.

While this isn’t the end of the world, it’s hardly ideal. And it’s not what parents expect when they fork out annual fees of $13,000.

I fully agree that an education should be well-rounded – and an appreciation of the arts is integral to this – but Spiller has not wiped arts off the curriculum. She is simply shifting focus to improve outcomes, and this is, no doubt, a key performance indicator as set by her school board.

The latest parental furore is over the ditching of a handful of arts subjects at John Paul College, south of Brisbane, where new principal Karen Spiller wants to concentrate more on traditional academic subjects. Picture: Liam Kidston

Change is often resisted, but without it, you get more of the same, or worse.

Any educator worth his or her salt will not be satisfied with the status quo.

Meddling parents who are unwilling or unable to see the bigger picture would do well to leave education to the experts.

Then we have the other end of the spectrum –
hands-off parents who refuse to engage in their child’s learning journey.

These parents wouldn’t know what their child is studying, and they wouldn’t care. Behavioural issues are for the school to sort out, despite most of them originating at home.

Not surprisingly, the children of disengaged parents are prone to discipline problems, and many show a profound lack of respect for authority. You can’t blame them: they’ve seen apathy modelled so well by mum or dad.

Meddling parents who are unwilling or unable to see the bigger picture would do well to leave education to the experts. Picture: iStock

Here’s an example of what this produces.

One state high-school teacher in Brisbane who is relatively new to the profession, changing career in his late 40s because he is passionate about educating children, has copped awful abuse.

The other day in class he asked a student to answer a question and the kid swore at him and said: “How dare you f---ing speak to me, you c---.”

The child’s parents were contacted but couldn’t have given a rats.

Unruly students don’t just make life unnecessarily difficult for teachers, they disrupt the learning environment for their peers. Meanwhile, their own education is going down the gurgler.

Teaching is a tough gig, and those working to improve prospects for students deserve parental support, not aggression or apathy.

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