Schools ask ‘helicopter parents’ to stop complaining
More and more parents are showing up at schools to complain when their child is reprimanded or has received a punishment – to the detriment of a teacher’s authority, says one network head
Hovering
Education expert Pedro De Bruyckere of Artevelde University College in Ghent started the discussion a few days ago when he tweeted a BBC article in which a school principal said that pupils text parents when they are reprimanded.
De Bruyckere received dozens of reactions, including from Ann Dejaegher, the principal of an Ypres school where pupils are allowed to use their smartphones during breaks. “I get into a situation where the mum is already standing at my door before I’m even informed about the incident”, she told Mediahuis newspapers.
She used the term ‘helicopter parents’ – parents who are constantly circling around their children to protect them and often refusing to accept the sanction given to the child.
In a statement, Boeve has asked parents “not to enter conflict mode when their child is sanctioned.” Also, he said “parents should be on the same side as teachers and have more trust in the teacher’s authority. When they do have questions about a sanction, they can calmly turn to the school.”
Photo courtesy Pixabay
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Educational system
million school-going children in 2013
million euros Flemish education budget for new school infrastructures in 2013
percent of boys leaving secondary school without a diploma
- Education in Flanders
- Secondary education reform
- European Encyclopaedia on National Education Systems
