Years ago, I marched into the school to speak with an employee about what I considered to be a mean-spirited and damaging comment on my second grader’s paper. (There was even an accompanying frowny face.) I didn’t realize there was a staff party going on at the time, but walking in on it did not deter me from making my point.

Unfortunately, the witnesses did not know what I was upset about nor about the history behind the problem, so they may have gotten the impression that I am simply a lunatic. I have had wonderful relationships with most of my children’s teachers at multiple schools, but I suspect that incident may have harmed my reputation with at least one other staff member at that particular school.

I stand by my indignation, but as I’ve matured, I’ve learned that such reactions are not always to our children’s benefit. How have you handled conflicts at your child’s school?

Comments are closed