We concluded feeling like partners in taking care of all children. Sometime parents' anger is a cover for a deeply held anxiety about children's success, and for some, it stems from the parents' own poor experience with schools. Earl Martin, who is now a principal in Olathe, Kansas, told about an event that underscored his commitment to learn by listening. One of the things I have to work at is listening. . . There are many situations where I have to make fast-paced decisions, but I still try to take a little time to listen to what someone else is saying rather than trying to force things to happen.
Efficiency works better with things than with people.
This is a story that taught me about listening. A few years ago a parent who was very upset with a teacher requested a meeting with the teacher and myself. He was very angry, very hot, and he wanted the teacher's head on a platter. He felt the teacher was continually coming down on his kid and not giving him any opportunities for success, and there were some specific events that made him come to this point. He was one of the most angry parents ever to come into the school.