Frustrated Mom Says Teachers Don’t Like Parents Like Her Who Care About Their Kids Because The Teachers ‘Want Complete Control’
She claimed that teachers get mad at parents for exercising control over their own kids instead of being granted it instead.
Drazen Zigic / Shutterstock After a mother made a rather dignified statement against teachers, a public school educator defended other educators and pointed out that they want the same things parents do — to see the children thrive and grow.
In a TikTok video, a teacher named Cass responded to a mother's criticisms after claiming that teachers don't have the kids' best interests at heart despite what people may think.
A mom said teachers don't like parents who care about their kids because they want complete control.
In a since-deleted TikTok video, a mom named Kelsey Rhae criticized teachers for wanting complete control over their children, not caring about educating them, or respecting parents who care about being involved in their child's classroom environment. Her opinion came after she got into it with her child's teacher, who disciplined her child after a homework paper wasn't properly signed and returned.
In response, Cass, a public school teacher, acknowledged that while she can't speak for all teachers, she can firmly admit that she never wants to control the children she teaches. All she wants to do is fulfill the role and responsibility of an educator, which means having her students complete their assignments and get them excited to learn every day.
"But you have parents like yourself who teach kids that teachers don't matter and you don't have to respect teachers," Cass explained in her video. "You are inherently teaching them that they don't have to respect authority."
She pointed out that there's a way to teach your children how to stand up for themselves against strangers and people who want to take advantage of them, but that doesn't mean having children outright disrespect authority figures, especially teachers. Cass continued, saying that in Rhae's original video, she was pulling her son out of school, and in the caption of her video, she claimed that her son also doesn't want to go to school.
She questioned whether Rhae's son either doesn't want to go to school because of his teacher or because he's being taught to hate his teacher and school. Teachers aren't trying to control kids at all, Cass pointed out. They're trying to give state tests that they don't want to give and not be ridiculed or dismissed.
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"Teachers are trying to figure out how to be full-time parents while being full-time caregivers. Throughout the day, they're responsible for individuals who are students, who don't care what they have to say because their parents have taught them that whatever your teacher says doesn't matter."
More and more parents are telling their kids that teachers need to earn their respect.
This mindset doesn't help the growing number of public school educators who are becoming exhausted with their line of work. Many of them have already made plans to quit, and it's incredibly disheartening for educators to be portrayed as these power-hungry control individuals who are trying to go above parents' heads when, in reality, they're simply striving to provide a nurturing and positive environment for their students.
This same point was brought up by Teresa Kaye Newman, a public school music teacher, who explained that many other parents have the same idea that their children don't need to respect their teachers until that respect is granted first. Newman insisted that parents should be teaching their kids that respect and kindness are a baseline condition, especially with teachers.
"I don't understand why we are trying to teach our kids to be violent and ugly even when someone else is not treating them exactly the way they want to be treated," Newman said. "When they're out in the workplace and grown, and they're trying to hold down a job that they want to keep despite the boss not being the kindest person, they're gonna need to learn how to be a little bit more diplomatic."
What happened to parents teaching children to be kind and respectful? Teachers already have mountains of stress on their shoulders to go above and beyond at their jobs when there's little incentive. They don't need to be dealing with uncooperative parents who think their children are above classroom discipline.
Cass acknowledged that while she understands Rhae's frustration with having her son wrongfully reprimanded for a mistake that he didn't make, there is another way to communicate with a teacher rather than being aggressive and grouping all public school educators into one box.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.