In a message dated 04/20/2001 4:38:37 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
THEGREEN99@prodigy.net writes:
> How do you politely tell a parent she's moron? I called a parent the other
> day to let her know her daughter accidentally got paint on her shirt and it
> might not come out. The child was wearing an apron which covered completely
> so I have no idea how the paint got there. Anyway, the mom wrote a fairly
>
I don't think I would ask this Mom to "help" in her daughter's class for a
couple of reasons. I would be concerned that the little girl would be
further stiffled and more nervous about getting paint on her clothes in the
presence of her mother. And, I sense this this person is not the ideal
"helper" to have around. If she's overly concerned about a little spilled
paint, can you imagine her reaction if G-d forbid, LOL, another "catastrophy"
occurred?
I think you should send out a letter in positive terms- Sky's letter sounded
good. Maybe you can express it this way: The children take a magical journey
in art. In their joyful and meaningful creativity, they will get the
opportunity to explore a variety of medium. With this in mind, please dress
your child appropriately on art days.
Essentially, I wouldn't address the anger but would emphasize the positive.
Once, in my former school, I had a parent rant and rave by coming to school
with her child's shirt which had a small amount of yellow paint on it that
she couldn't get out. She demanded that I wash it! I handled it exactly the
way I described, and it put an end to her ranting. BTW, I don't even use
cover-ups in any grade- no time in my 40 min. art class to start delegating
smocks. An occasional child (with the anal parent) brings her own shirt to
art and is responsible for putting it on.
Susan on Long Island
