By Dr. Karen

I have worked with many parents who have been through a tough and difficult school period with their children’s teachers. The teacher was not as receptive to the child’s needs or supposedly disliked the child for no particular reason.
The parents claimed their child was picked on by the teacher or singled out for misbehaviors that were often unnoticed when expressed by other students in the class.
This experience is often a source of pain for parents…they experience the child’s hurt as if it were their own and feel a sense of betrayal and injustice by the teacher.
After all, teachers are supposed to be fair, loving, and sensitive, aren’t they? Well, teachers are human and life isn’t always fair. I will never know all the circumstances that led to these conflicts between teacher, parent, and child, but I do believe that parents must make a concerted effort not to create the same situation with a new teacher.
I know it might be challenging to change old feelings and beliefs about teachers, but you have to try for your child’s sake. Not every teacher is going to respond to your child the way the previous teacher did.

Furthermore, once you become open to more positive experiences, your child will follow suit and will become more optimistic as well.
Here are some ways to make this change:
1. Pay attention to your negative thoughts about this new school experience. For example, just because the teacher reprimands your child does not mean that the teacher hates him.
2. Are you interpreting the situation accurately? Or are negative emotions clouding your assessment?  For example, do you think that the teacher hates your daughter just because she does not smile at your child? There could be other reasons, such as; the teacher may have been distracted at that moment.
3. Try not to let negative past experiences dominate your perception of all teachers. This will lead to distorted perceptions without evidence.

Contact: Desiree Grand at 914-665-6786 or e-mail: dgrand@mtvernoncsd.org