"Dear Parents. We need to be nicer to teachers."

What one teacher wants parents to know…

Bullying in schools.

Now as a parent, your first thought is bullying experienced by kids.

That is not what I’m talking about.

There’s a different kind of bullying that’s quickly becoming rife in Australian schools. And it’s one that you might not expect.

Bullying of teachers by parents.

According to The Adviser, several principals have explained that a growing number of parents are threatening and abusing teachers. So much so, that the Department of Education and Communities (DEC) is failing to keep track of the growing number of incidents.

South Australian Primary Principals Association president Pam Kent explained, “The ones [parents] that are a real concern are the ones that are in your face and make you fear for your safety,” with a growing number of parents becoming so violent towards teachers, that they have been banned from schools for a length of time.

While as a former teacher, I never witnessed physical violence in the primary school I worked in, there was an alarming number of parents who verbally took out their anger on teachers.

And according to Ms Kent, this is due to “changing styles of parenting” which has led to more parents taking sides with their children against the behaviour management policies of schools.

This is a sad reality for teachers, who are there for no other means than to provide an education to young children. Parents and teachers should work together in partnership. And in fact, parents who work cohesively with their child’s teacher, tend to see greater attainment of outcomes for their child.

Let me tell you, we teachers do not want to give you bad news. We know sometimes it can be hard to hear your child isn’t performing, or isn’t behaving the way they should be. It may be hard not to take is at a personal attack, or to say in your head “they don’t know what they’re talking about”.

But please hear us out. We probably spend more time in the day with your child than what you do. You hand over the reins to us when you drop them off at school. And we want your child to be successful in the same way that you would.

There is nothing more rewarding to a teacher than seeing a child reaching their full educational potential. Please help us out by working with us, not against us.

What is your relationship with your child's teacher like?

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