Meet the Parents.

Being a teacher is not all about babysitting children. It's also about the parents and guardians. I think half of the job requirement is kissing the parents/and or guardians butt. But that's just my opinion.

Anywho, it's been almost(?) a month since I've been doing student teaching and stuff, and I've gotten to know and recognize alot of the parents of students in my class. And vice versa. I think alot of them like me. I would hope so, because them liking me is a huge deal. It could totally affect me getting a job at this school.

(Did I mention I would like to get a job at this school. It would be totally awesome if I did)

So seeing and interacting with them for the past month or so has led me to categorize them. Not in a negative way. But more of a I'm- just- observing -how- you- interact- with- your- kid- so- I -can- determine- whether- or- not- you're- the- reason- why- your- child- is- an- amazing -or- annoying -student- so- don't- mind- me kind of way. You know?

And this is the list I have come up with:

• The Hovering Parent-This is the mom or dad that drops their child off to school and does not leave even after the child has entered the classroom. This parent is spooky. They just stand at the doorway of the classroom, watches not only their child, but you and the other children. It's creepy as heck. A couple of times this dad stood at the doorway, and disrupted the flow of the classroom because he was yelling at his son to get "back on task" and stop daydreaming. You would think that after this traumatic experience of having your dad hover around and watch you in the morning, the student would remain on task ALL the time to avoid such embarrassment. But noooooooo, the child still wanders off to La-La land. I guess that kind of embarrassment only works with teeny boppers.
  
• The Mom that does everything for her 7 year old "baby"- This mom annoys the heck out of me. She comes to school in the morning, and puts all of her child's things away for him/her and does every. Single. Thing. For. The. Child. Same thing happens at the end of the day.This is in no way helping the child. Now or in the future. The child does not learn responsibility and in turn expects THE TEACHER to do what the mom has done for them. And I am sad to say that some of these parents even do their kids' homework for them. It's so obvious when they do too. And believe you me, Ms. D and I can tell the difference between chicken scratch and nice penmanship.
  
• The Psycho Parent-This is the parent that yells at their child for everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. I'm scared this parent will start yelling at me sooner or later because they are psychotic! I swear I think they require some much needed Anger Management sessions.

PsychoParent: Where is your lunch bag?
Child: I left it in the classroom.
P.P.:*shouting at the top of their lungs in front of the entire second grade department *
WHY WOULD/DID YOU LEAVE IT IN THE CLASSROOM? WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT DOING THAT?

Seriously, they need to relax. It's just a freaking lunch bag. And all they have to do is turn right back around and enter the classroom, and retrieve the freaking thing. No need to burst a blood vessel.

• The Overachieving-Perfectionist-I-want-my-kid-to-be-just-like-me-parent: This is the parent that wants their kid to excel in every possible way. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with wanting the best for your kid. It's when you want your kid to be just like you, an annoying perfectionist, when there is a problem. I've seen one mother get upset with her daughter because her daughter was reading 106 words per minute (The requirement is 107 words per minute). Cut the kid some slack. Hell, at least she knows how to read.
  
• The Single Mom/Dad who has everything under control: Self explanatory. This type of parent has alot of pressure on them. And majority of the time, they are working two or more jobs to make ends meet. But they have everything under control. They don't show any type of stress, don't yell at their kids if they do have personal problems, and encourages and motivates them and studies with them. And best of all, their kid is usually one of the smartest student's in the class.
  
• The Teacher/Employee of the school parent- It's bad enough for the kid that you work at the same school. Do you have to come around and check on your kid throughout the day too? And embarrass them .And tell them "I love you honey". And wipe their face. And make sure they wear their jacket when going out for recess. And kiss them goodbye, all while the other kids are staring and laughing?
  
• The Power Couple Parents-These are the parents I love. (Not that I don't like the other parents). Most of the time I see one or the other parent come in with their child. But the Power Couple come in together all the time. You gotta admit, just by looking at them, you can tell these types of parents know what they want for themselves and their kids. And work hard for it too (Again, not that the other parents don't) They have everything together. They balance each other out. They send their kids to school prepared and ready to work, converse with the teacher regularly on their kids' progress, donate necessities to the classroom, AND volunteer their assistance whenever needed. I've only seen one of their kind so far. Not to say there aren't many other power couple parents out there. I just haven't seen the rest, perhaps?
  

On a kinda sorta related note, my brother and sister in law had a baby daughter yesterday. Their first. I still can't believe my brother is a dad. I wonder what type of parent he'll be.