Many parents believe that having their child in a teacher’s classroom that they know personally is a great idea. While it may ease the parents’ minds to leave their child at school with a close acquaintance such as a family member, it may not always be the best option.
Teaching a close friend or family member’s child can be difficult for the teacher, the child, and the parents. All may run smoothly if the child has no academic or behavior struggles. However, it can be very hard for a teacher to tell parents that their child is below average in one of these areas. The difficulty is multiplied when the parents are close friends or family members.
The teacher may have more trouble from the child because of the closeness that they experience. The child is used to seeing the teacher outside of school. The teacher may struggle to gain an authority relationship with the child. It is often hard for the child to get used to calling the teacher by an official school title. It may also take time for the child to move the relationship back and forth from the school setting to the home setting.
The teacher and the child may also have issues outside of school if school cannot be left at school. The child may become resentful toward the teacher if the child is reprimanded at school. This could cause uncomfortable feelings outside of the school.
The teacher and the parents may also have uncomfortable feelings if they disagree about how a particular issue was handled. It may become hard for the teacher and parents to move away from talking about school topics when outside of the classroom. The teacher may also have trouble with the parents feeling comfortable about calling at home about school issues.
While having a friend or family member’s child in your classroom can work out beautifully, the teacher and the parents should also be aware of the risks for disaster that are out there.
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