After hearing this story, it’ll be clear why teachers often leave education. TikToker Holly (@holly.beth777) is a former teacher, and she’s sharing her worst-ever experience with a student’s parents.
One day, she had a meeting in the principal’s office with a 5th-grade student’s parents. The mother was tearing Holly down, while the principal tried to stand up for her.
Holly told the mom that her child didn’t have basic math skills and couldn’t read or spell. The mom responded that she knew her daughter couldn’t read, spell, or do math, but she had always passed science, and now, she was failing.
Holly tried to explain that science class in the 5th grade was a big step up from 4th-grade standards. Having strong reading, spelling, and math skills is important to being successful in class, which is why there is such a focus on developing these skills during the lower grades.
The dad finally chimed in, saying that he would just need to quit his job if that was what it took to help their daughter. Holly tried to suggest that they come up with a plan for her learning at school and at home. But the conversation kept going in circles.
The mom acted like she was the victim of horrible treatment from the school district and had an emotional breakdown. She insisted on reading preschool-level books to her child to help build her reading skills.
She was resistant to bumping up the reading level. At one point, the mom cried about how her daughter was turning 13 years old in a few weeks and was going to be a woman.
Holly and the principal realized that there was no way they could get through to these parents, so they politely ended the meeting and promised to keep them updated on their child’s progress.
Afterward, Holly looked up the student’s file to see how they ended up with a 13-year-old 5th grader. She was held back once, but the mom had gotten her age wrong. She was actually 11, turning 12.
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A few weeks later, Holly was up at the front of the class, teaching a lesson, when the mom suddenly opened her classroom door and just stared at her.
Holly asked if she had checked in with the office, and she said she did. Eventually, she motioned for her daughter to come out to the hall, where they talked for a few minutes.
Then, the mom continued to stand and stare at Holly. She left about 10 minutes later. The same thing happened the following week. Holly mentioned it to the principal, who was confused and hadn’t seen the mom around at all.
Holly asked the student what her mom was doing at school and found out that the district had hired her as a substitute teacher. So, every time she worked, she would stop by Holly’s classroom during lunch and watch her.
The principal talked to the mom and told her she couldn’t disrupt a class in session. As the year went on, Holly would see the mom outside at the school pickup line.
She would give Holly a death glare for 15 minutes straight until traffic cleared up. She was the worst parent that Holly had ever dealt with.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
