I do not pretend to be a perfect parent [hello, blog title]. I know I'm not a perfect teacher. Yet I am reasonably certain that the following techniques are less than ideal when trying to raise a responsible young person:
- Consulting with teachers about why one's child has to make up the hours missed from classes when he was suspended from school
- Calling one's child during class to find out of she "needs to be at school" for the last period
- Claiming one didn't realize it wasn't appropriate to text one's child during class to remind him to turn in his homework
- Offering to come to school with one's child to make sure she's attending classes and doing her work
- Telling a concerned teacher who calls to check on her often-absent child that she hasn't "seen him in a few days"
- Revealing in a phone call (with a teacher one has never actually met, who is simply calling to inform one of missing work) graphic & unflattering details of one's child's emotional & behavioral issues
- Insisting one's child just cannot get out of bed in time to make first period, which starts at 8:30
I grow weary.
