I received the following message recently from Love and Logic's Dr. Charles Fay:
Tough Teachers: Why Your Kids Need at Least One
"While the vast majority of educators deserve great praise for their patience, care and competence, most of us have known at least one who scowled instead of smiled, yelled instead of whispered, and pointed out our weaknesses instead of our strengths. As parents, it's tempting to rescue our kids from such teachers…to demand that our kids be moved to another class. My parents felt this temptation when I was in the third grade. I still regard Mrs.___________(name deleted to protect the guilty) as one of the most negative, demanding, and cold people I've ever met. She did me a great favor! After the first week of school, my mom and dad patted me on the back and said, "You are so lucky. This year you're going to learn how to do something that plenty of adults haven't learned yet! This year you're going to learn all about how to get along with really tough people. We will help you with ideas." I wasn’t impressed! But they were right! When your kids meet Mrs. ____________, will you give them this gift…or steal it from them? Thanks for reading!"
Dr. Charles Fay
This is a timely message for parents at the beginning of the school year, especially because many teachers start out the year sharing procedures and rules to provide structure for optimal learning. As parents, we need to let our children handle some stressful situations to help them develop resilience for future challenges they may face. We can give them tools and strategies instead of rescuing them.
