Subscribe from $5.99

Strategies Every Teacher Needs for Dealing with Difficult Parents

Advertisement

Originally published in TEACH Magazine, March/April 2025 Issue

By Fiona Tapp

A teacher’s job is made easier through collaboration. This can be with school administration, other educators, and professionals like speech pathologists and psychologists. One of the most vital partnerships, however, is with parents. By fostering a strong home-school connection, parents can support homework and provide insights about their child, while teachers can share classroom strategies for success.

From time to time, teachers might meet a difficult parent who doesn’t want to work with them or who may be combative or even violent. A recent survey of Alberta teachers found that 50% of teachers (and 75% of school leaders) had experienced aggression in their work environment within the first three months of the school year.

Subscribe to Keep Reading

đŸ”‘ You’re one step away from unlocking premium content.
Subscribe now for as low as $5.99 and get full access!

Subscribe

If you’re already subscribed, please Log In.

Avatar photo

Fiona Tapp is a former teacher and school administrator of 13 years. She writes about education, parenting, and travel for a variety of publications including National Geographic, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, The Sunday Times, and many more.

Education News

Combating the Global Plastic Crisis Through Project-Based Learning

Classrooms around the world transition into centers of innovation as the Unplastify Challenge culminates in student-led strategies for plastic pollution prevention.

Engaging with Banned Books

As book bans increased across the nation, we wanted to counter the narrative that books are dangerous. We sought to collect research and essays on how books fostered understanding, built community, and healed emotional and physical trauma.

Launch of National Youth Apprenticeship Council to Influence Canada’s Skilled Trades Future

The new national Council will bring youth leadership directly into decisions shaping Canada’s skilled trades and apprenticeship system.

New Literacy Solution Helps Districts Engage Families in Improving Reading Outcomes

This structured literacy communication system connects district initiatives, family engagement, and attendance efforts.

Supporting Teachers with Tiny Pep Talks

Teaching is meaningful, important, and filled with joys both big and small. But also, let’s face it, there are days where you could use an extra pep talk (or twenty).

Why We Need to Start Recognizing the Strengths of Sensitive Children

I was a boy in Texas in the 1980s. At that time, young men were expected to grow into cowboys or firefighters or G.I. Joes.
Fiona Tapp
Fiona Tapp
Fiona Tapp is a former teacher and school administrator of 13 years. She writes about education, parenting, and travel for a variety of publications including National Geographic, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, The Sunday Times, and many more.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Read More

The Top Classroom Kits Every Special Education Teacher Should Know About

The best classroom kits for special education teachers are the ones that support a wide range of needs, from communication and motor skills to sensory processing.

How Schools and Families Can Help Fund Childhood Cancer Research

Childhood cancer impacts thousands of families in the U.S. each year, but it continues to be underfunded and depends on philanthropic support.

Why Equitable Ed Tech Requires Infrastructure, Literacy, and Values

Beneath the question of what technologies are good for our students lies the more urgent question of which students stand to benefit?

5 Things Teachers Should Know About Retirement, According to Financial Experts

Many teachers don’t have a detailed financial plan for retirement. But taking a few early steps can make a big difference in how prepared you feel later on.

The Well-Educated Child: An Interview with Deborah Kenny

At a time when teachers are under tremendous pressure to deliver test scores but are concerned about the lack of time for quality teaching, Dr. Deborah Kenny presents a refreshing vision for how schools can produce both.

Combating the Global Plastic Crisis Through Project-Based Learning

Classrooms around the world transition into centers of innovation as the Unplastify Challenge culminates in student-led strategies for plastic pollution prevention.