How do you manage angry parents in a crisis?

Years ago working in the school system in Jersey, I had to face some of these, especially the mothers. Wow- no one check the students work at home and when they finally see the failing signs they would storm in at the desk and demand change. What to do then? One of the time the Principal heard her high raging voice as if she would kill me right then and he rescued me and put her out. I will say though, it's a shame when parents are just too darn busy to make the effort to check the work of kids and NOT just take their words for it. Yes, parents can get frustrated and tries to take it out on Teachers and staff. anyhow, I will say to be the more considerate one, kindness and calm can defuse the anger they bring. Get help.

Your capacity to calm and balance your nervous system will help to steady you, so you can be the calmest, kindest version of yourself. Stuck in a heightened state of reactive fight or flee a parent can't hear or take on board what's being said to them. So focus on an easy to use tool to 'tread water' and potentially stabilise them too. Find something you can do in the moment, for example, slowly saying in your head, 'I am safe, you are safe, we are safe.' Or allowing weight to drop down your back to your feet so your nervous system balances and reacts less. Practice your 'tool' away from these situations so they're easier to use when you need them most.

when parents are angry, i let them vent. As a customer service trainer i apply these skills to my parents. When a client seeks service from an organization they have both personal and practical needs. Sometimes the personal needs supersedes the practical needs. Our duty here is to empathize with them. Actively listen , then use our counselling skills to ascertain what is their exact needs agree on that with them and then facilitate a action plan on arriving on that with them. When they are actively involved in the decision making process it makes the commitment a lot easier to achieve.

Never alienate parents. Talk to them - not at or around them. Remember, parents help reinforce concepts learned in the classroom at home. Why make an enemy out of an ally.

Whether you are or are not a parent, being able to step into how they are feeling is crucial. Validate their anger and hear them out. One parent I had just never felt heard by their teachers or administration. It came out on me and she quickly realized that I was not like them. I listened not only to her concerns but to her possible solutions. The parents know their kids and isolating them, or acting as though they aren't smart enough to give you insight on them, only pushes them further and further into that rage.

At the core of most parents is they are concerned about their child and don't know how to help. An angry parent often comes into the school with only the info that came from the kid. Take the time to hear them out, ALL of it, we all need to feel we have been heard. Chances are by the time they tell you everything and you have calmly listened they will be calmer and more ready for discussion (don't butt in and correct them until they get their words out). Find a positive to discuss about their child before you address the negative which is most certainly what the parent is mad about to begin with.

Most parents are in love with their child and desires the best from them, but it does take time , money and patience to make parenting a good thing. A child can never make up for the distress of parents, therefore both have to learn and forgive and deal with their goals. Educating another, can be tough, but it can mature into something wonderful, when both have the desire to achieve. "Never make friends with an angry person so that you do NOT learn their ways".