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>Parents love to think that because they have had one child (or maybe a couple), they know how to educate children writ large. They don't care about how to edu

>Parents love to think that because they have had one child (or maybe a couple), they know how to educate children writ large. They don't care about how to educate children writ large. They care to the extent that they think you are failing their child, specifically. You would do well to remember that as an educator, you have a responsibility to the public. If you really find parents concerns to be beneath your dignity, perhaps you shouldn't be a teacher.

ModernMech 3y ago
Personally I teach adults, so in my capacity as a teacher, parental concerns are not my concerns. In my capacity as a citizen of this country and as a taxpayer, I also don't care about busybody "concerned parents" who feel the system is failing them personally. My concern in this capacity comes down to how the system is building a better community for everyone. Individual parental concerns shouldn't turn into culture wars.
- jovial_cavalier 3y ago
  What I'm trying to say is that when it comes to their own children, they are not being "busybodies". It is their right to voice their concerns, and it is the duty of educators to listen to these concerns and take them seriously. You can't just brush them off. Even if the parent is being unreasonable, it is part of your job description to make them see reason.
  - ModernMech 3y ago
    Sorry, to be clear I teach adults, so it's not part of my job description to make any parents see reason. The concerns of one adult do not impact the way I teach any other adult, no matter how they are related. As for my role as a citizen, I'm thinking specifically about my local community, which is beset by people who have very loud feelings about certain books existing in the school library. A lot of communities are facing this issue. I call these people busybodies because nothing that they do or say is based in reality, but only on their feelings. It's feelings all the way down just, like the linked blog post. All they're doing is making everyone's lives harder: other parents, teachers, administrators, and especially the students. For what? There's no actual problem being cited. This is all to quell their own feelings about books. That's pretty much the definition of being a busybody.
mrguyorama 3y ago
>If you really find parents concerns to be beneath your dignity, perhaps you shouldn't be a teacher. As a person who does tech work, you are now sentenced to be forced to listen to every single asshole who wants to tell you their "super awesome app" idea that "should take like a weekend right" to make and "will get us rich", and you aren't allowed to complain or point out how they have no idea what they are talking about
- jovial_cavalier 3y ago
  Those guys don't have any stake in anything except a half-baked idea, and furthermore they can clearly be shown not to know what they're talking about. It is not comparable to a parent's concern for the welfare of their child. A teacher's duty to their student is obligate. Dismissing out-of-hand the input of the one or two human beings who know and care more for that child than anyone else on the planet should be considered malpractice in that line of work.

ModernMech 3y ago

Personally I teach adults, so in my capacity as a teacher, parental concerns are not my concerns. In my capacity as a citizen of this country and as a taxpayer, I also don't care about busybody "concerned parents" who feel the system is failing them personally. My concern in this capacity comes down to how the system is building a better community for everyone. Individual parental concerns shouldn't turn into culture wars.

jovial_cavalier 3y ago
What I'm trying to say is that when it comes to their own children, they are not being "busybodies". It is their right to voice their concerns, and it is the duty of educators to listen to these concerns and take them seriously. You can't just brush them off. Even if the parent is being unreasonable, it is part of your job description to make them see reason.
- ModernMech 3y ago
  Sorry, to be clear I teach adults, so it's not part of my job description to make any parents see reason. The concerns of one adult do not impact the way I teach any other adult, no matter how they are related. As for my role as a citizen, I'm thinking specifically about my local community, which is beset by people who have very loud feelings about certain books existing in the school library. A lot of communities are facing this issue. I call these people busybodies because nothing that they do or say is based in reality, but only on their feelings. It's feelings all the way down just, like the linked blog post. All they're doing is making everyone's lives harder: other parents, teachers, administrators, and especially the students. For what? There's no actual problem being cited. This is all to quell their own feelings about books. That's pretty much the definition of being a busybody.

mrguyorama 3y ago

>If you really find parents concerns to be beneath your dignity, perhaps you shouldn't be a teacher. As a person who does tech work, you are now sentenced to be forced to listen to every single asshole who wants to tell you their "super awesome app" idea that "should take like a weekend right" to make and "will get us rich", and you aren't allowed to complain or point out how they have no idea what they are talking about

jovial_cavalier 3y ago
Those guys don't have any stake in anything except a half-baked idea, and furthermore they can clearly be shown not to know what they're talking about. It is not comparable to a parent's concern for the welfare of their child. A teacher's duty to their student is obligate. Dismissing out-of-hand the input of the one or two human beings who know and care more for that child than anyone else on the planet should be considered malpractice in that line of work.