Charlotte’s story: unprecedented challenges from parents

Plenty of my colleagues have left because of their mental health, many have talked about it and most weeks, someone has an incident with a parent that causes upset and distress.

The past academic year presented unique challenges. I formed strong bonds with parents of children who struggled, where my efforts to support them were appreciated. On the flip side, I faced significant challenges with parents of disruptive students who did not believe in the severity of their children's behaviour, leading to confrontational meetings and additional stress for me.

When we sign up for a career in education, we look forward to building strong bonds and positive relationships. We also know that occasionally, there will be confrontations, disruptive behaviour, and distressing incidents.

The latest Teacher Wellbeing Index, a national study conducted annually by Education Support, reveals a devastating 1 in 3 school staff feel parents and guardians are more verbally abusive in the last year. Like many teachers, I’ve noticed a marked change in parental attitudes in recent years, particularly since the pandemic. There have been moments that have caused me real distress, leaving me overwhelmed and questioning my career choice. I’ve noticed similar struggles among colleagues too.

Initially, most parents were supportive but now expectations have escalated. Last year, I spent more and more time dealing with challenging and sometimes frightening parents who added significant stress to my already very demanding job.

The emotional toll has had a notable impact on my teaching and my wellbeing.

I was found by a member of SLT having a panic attack in my classroom.

The worst part is that students become more sensitive or hesitant to seek help when their parents are challenging or disengaged.

The lead-up to Christmas can be challenging at the best of times, and with this mounting pressure, I worry that I am being pushed to the brink of a breakdown.

 

This is where you can make a real difference.

Education Support has free, confidential services that are designed to help teachers like me; helping us navigate difficult parent interactions and providing the emotional support we need to stay resilient.

While my story represents the challenge, Education Support’s services represent the solution.

Through counselling teachers, Education Support became increasingly aware that parental and pupil behaviour is becoming an issue. So, they got to work conducting UK-wide research via the Teacher Wellbeing Index to get data on the issue and engage teachers and leaders.

After investigating, they trained their counsellors, used experts to create free resources and used their data and connections to guide policymakers on the issue. Amongst other recommendations, they’re calling for all stakeholders to help renew the social contract between families and teachers, harnessing the fact that everyone wants what’s best for children.

This is how Education Support works – they see a problem and work at all levels of the system to solve it.

Your donation not only helps teachers in distress immediately but also goes so much further to solve fundamental issues.

• £20 could provide free and immediate wellbeing resources.
• £30 could provide a 30 min call for a teacher needing urgent counselling.
• £60 could support sector research to inform education policy.

There are still days when I love my job. The positive relationships and connections still remind me why I got into teaching every day. I form strong bonds with parents of children who struggle, and my efforts to support them are recognised and appreciated.

A donation to Education Support is a gift for teachers and pupils. Teachers like me can stay healthy, happy and continuing in the job we love.

Charlotte*
Class Teacher

*Charlotte is using a pseudonym due to the sensitive nature of the subject