Wish Letter

Dear Cruel Parent -

No matter how dark a picture your child paints of me, or my teaching, or my attitude, you have no right to talk to me like an animal. I am a professional educator. I have worked six years for the degree that hangs above my desk - a degree that allows me to teach specific information to your child in a structured and applicable manner.

I do not hate your child, nor do I purposely look for ways to fail, humiliate, or judge any student. Frankly, I have much more fulfilling things to do with my time, like watching four solid hours of C-SPAN or cross-referencing my spice rack. Let's be honest...your child is using this "hatred" as an excuse for the missed assignments, poor test grades, and an overall slacker attitude that has developed with the onset of puberty. In other words, your child is creating distractions so that the real problem - whatever that may be - is less obvious.

Whatever the case, I do not appreciate the way you attacked me today. While I stood there and took the brunt of your frustration, I was secretly thinking about how much I just wanted to go home and hide underneath the covers. I am not ashamed to admit that you made me doubt my ability to teach, even though it's something I love. My day as a teacher was ruined, and I couldn't focus on my students' needs because of the nausea and headache that developed in response to our meeting.

How could you really think that I dislike your child? How could you honestly think that? As a first-year teacher, I expect a lot of lessons. And even more, I look forward to confronting the difficulties of this profession, because they will make me a stronger person and a better teacher. But I certainly didn't expect my faith, my morals, and my intelligence to be attacked in one fatal blow. Please know that I will continue teaching, because I love it. I also tend to think that the students are enjoying this teacher. I am pretty good for a rookie, and I plan to only get better. So if you or your child have concerns about me, I suggest you take it up with the administration, because I'm not changing a darn thing.


Sincerely,
Your Child's Teacher