When talking about bullying issues and the school policy with my students, I get pretty passionate. I emphasize the repetitious nature of attacks, big or small, verbal or electronic that have a student living life “braced” at all times. Constantly feeling the need to defend themselves makes them not want to go to school. I’ll be honest and say that I feel bullied by parents! On Monday I literally had to CONVINCE myself to go to school; I’ll save you the inner monologue, but “uuuuugggghhhhh!!!” was the final thought as I grabbed my keys to go.

It’s not necessarily one parent in particular, but these helicopter parents and their CONSTANT attacks have me living life “braced” against every parent email and phone call. They complain that things are last minute and then in the next sentence complain that their high school kid couldn’t remember something they signed up for because it was too far in advance; they email at midnight on a Sunday to pick apart a referral and phone call home from Friday by listing in bullet point form what I did wrong and everything their kid says is wrong with my class; they call/email the principal/VP/counselor for a meeting to complain about grades and grading policy but never call or email for clarification from me or ask what their kid has done or not done for their grade. It is always my fault. I’m pretty tired of last minute being ok for them but not for me! I am tired of them being able to use “my kid has anxiety” and “my kid has ADD” but when I inform my boss and school psychologist that I HAVE THOSE SAME ISSUES (legit medicated for it), I am told it comes off as an excuse and I can’t use that or ask for accommodations. If a kid with ADD/anxiety said he would be more successful with his study hall at the beginning of the day because of the timing of his meds, we would jump to meet his needs, but I can’t ask for my prep to be in the first half of the day because that would be special treatment. I am overwhelmed. There’s 150 of them and one of me.

I am constantly treading water, and they just hand me more bricks to hold; and when I tread water with the bricks, they complain that I don’t hold the bricks right while doing it.

Uuuuugggghhhhhhh!!!