Work Rant
I am so tired of the petty bullshit from this one parent that I'm counting down the months until her child graduates. Don't get me wrong, I love the kid, but the mom is a piece of work. I've talked about my working relationship with this parent before - this is the mother who has severely curbed her daughter's independence to the point the girl can literally not do anything on her own, even brush her own hair - and I've been getting more vocal about how her daughter needs to learn life skills so she can be as independent as she possibly can be since she'll be going into high school next year. Mom has not appreciated my relatively diplomatic candor.
We recently had the first part of her child's latest IEP meeting. So, what happens? Right before the meeting, she gives her child's other teacher, who only has her one period out of the day (and let me tell you, I hear from that teacher all of the time about how that student drives her INSANE and she doesn't know how I do it since I have the student nearly all day), a gift wrapped present. The other teacher laughs and shows the bag to me as I'm walking to the meeting, because we both know what this parent is like so it's not like I take it personally after this long. During the meeting, though it seems to pain the parent to say so, she admits to how much growth her child has shown in my class and how it was a good environment for her child. The next day, the other teacher is cracking up and tells me I need to come to her room to see what was in the bag. The second I walk in the door I say, "Let me guess, it's something that says world's best teacher on it, right?" She just laughs even harder and pulls a mug out of the gift bag that says BEST TEACHER EVER.
Because that? That is exactly how that mom operates. If she's pleased with you or wants to ingratiate herself with you, she'll give you little gifts, but if she's pissed with you, she'll give even bigger gifts to other people and make sure you know it. This is not about the things, the gifts, the whatevers, this is about this reward/punishment game this parent has going on with her child's educators. She'd rather punish her child's teacher for telling her she needs to take a step back and let her child grow up and be able to take care of herself at least a little, rather than actually listen to what is being said, open her eyes, and see that she's hurting her child more than helping her by making her child so dependent upon her.
I'm just so tired of it. It's not like these petty machinations hurt me, but it's that the parent hopes that they do. How can you act so childishly toward someone who is trying so hard to help your child be able to take care of herself? What is so wrong in trying to help your child be able to do things by herself?
We recently had the first part of her child's latest IEP meeting. So, what happens? Right before the meeting, she gives her child's other teacher, who only has her one period out of the day (and let me tell you, I hear from that teacher all of the time about how that student drives her INSANE and she doesn't know how I do it since I have the student nearly all day), a gift wrapped present. The other teacher laughs and shows the bag to me as I'm walking to the meeting, because we both know what this parent is like so it's not like I take it personally after this long. During the meeting, though it seems to pain the parent to say so, she admits to how much growth her child has shown in my class and how it was a good environment for her child. The next day, the other teacher is cracking up and tells me I need to come to her room to see what was in the bag. The second I walk in the door I say, "Let me guess, it's something that says world's best teacher on it, right?" She just laughs even harder and pulls a mug out of the gift bag that says BEST TEACHER EVER.
Because that? That is exactly how that mom operates. If she's pleased with you or wants to ingratiate herself with you, she'll give you little gifts, but if she's pissed with you, she'll give even bigger gifts to other people and make sure you know it. This is not about the things, the gifts, the whatevers, this is about this reward/punishment game this parent has going on with her child's educators. She'd rather punish her child's teacher for telling her she needs to take a step back and let her child grow up and be able to take care of herself at least a little, rather than actually listen to what is being said, open her eyes, and see that she's hurting her child more than helping her by making her child so dependent upon her.
I'm just so tired of it. It's not like these petty machinations hurt me, but it's that the parent hopes that they do. How can you act so childishly toward someone who is trying so hard to help your child be able to take care of herself? What is so wrong in trying to help your child be able to do things by herself?