The customer is always right.
It’s a mantra that we have lived with in the business and hospitality world for a long time. I’ve heard it in school halls to describe how we should always accommodate and bend to the whims of parents.
The customer is always right. But surely, sometimes that’s not the case. Sometimes, the customer is flat out wrong. And that is the problem. It slowly wears down the relationship between teacher and parent. It’s an uncomfortable truth that needs to be said out loud.
The customer is always right?
One of the reasons that we continue to lose good teachers is poor treatment by parents. We entrust our teachers as professionals. They have the responsibility of nurturing, guiding and educating our children. They come with expertise, degrees, and an understanding of the complexities of the classroom. Teachers pour their heart and soul into a job with increased demands and mounting pressures.
And yet, we hear consistent stories of inappropriate behavior. It’s sometimes couched as feedback or problem-solving. It’s claimed as advocacy and standing up for your child but sometimes it is simply verbal abuse.
Parents berating teachers over grades that don’t meet their expectations. Administrators yelled at for disciplinary decisions. Staff members being mistreated for not meeting impossible requests.
Parents are deeply invested in their children. But so are teachers. It’s supposed to be a partnership between school and home. Does the way that some teachers are treated help them feel valued? Does it motivate them to do more? Does it make them feel safe?
Our job as educators is not to appeal to every parental whim.
Teachers are professionals, and experts in their field. They deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Parents will have legitimate concerns, and those need to be addressed. But they can’t involve belittling and personal attacks.
The education of our children is a shared responsibility. It requires trust, respect, and a willingness to work together.
The customer is always right? Sometimes that’s not the case.
Rich