I was at a national competition that had just decided to make scoring a bit harder so every Tom, Dick and Harry did not walk away with a Gold or High Gold (no platinums). Scoring was right on as far as we were all concerned and smart, good schools realized that it was nice that our weaker kids were scoring lower.

But one school (that no longer attends, Thank God) the kids were tearing the medals off of their necks in disgust and the parents were allowing it! I would have killed my kid if they did that. The teachers did or said nothing!!

This competition was definitely making you earn the platinum-very few and far between. I didn't know who to be angrier about...the parents for allowing it or the SO for doing it. Who knows-maybe the parents instigated? Let's give up hundreds of dollars in entry fees to teach our children its OK to quit if you're not the best!

Let us just hope none of those parents and kids end up at our doors someday!! Parents have changed since I was a kid back in the 50's-70's.

Parents have definitely become more irritating recently.
I had a parent just the other week request to speak to me after class because I made her daughter sit out for a portion of the class.
She accused me of discriminating against her child because her child is taller than the rest of the kids in the class.
I politely explained to this parent that her child was asked to sit out because she was hanging from the barre which is against the rules...that any child who did so would be asked to sit out. I explained that this was a safety hazard and that I did not want her child or anyone else's to get hurt.
Ms. "My child is so perfect" continued to insist that I was just picking her child out. "The other children aren't always doing what they're supposed to," she said.
And yes, they aren't always...but they also weren't HANGING from the barre.

Don't you just love it when they say, "but the other kids..."?

OY VAY!!

I always say, "but this is about YOUR child in this situation. Remind her that she will be asked to sit out again if she does it again."

If mama does not like it, then tell her, if you do not like our policies, maybe we are not the school for you.

ohhh this all reminds me of a situation I had a few years ago. A student had been asked to sit out because she just would not shut up, she was one of my favourite girls to teach and had so much potential, but as sometimes happens with a group of 12 yr old girls she just pushed all my buttons that day. So she sat out and about 10 mins later joined back in.

The next week her mum rushes in and says to me 'Why did you make _____ sit out last week?' and I explained what happened. The mum then says 'I think your discriminating against her because shes fatter then the rest of the girls'. I was so shocked - this girl had a little bit of puppy fat on her but was not at all fat, she was the same size as most of the other girls and was the most flexible out of eveyone! The mum then said 'she has to go to councilling every week to deal with her weight issues and to deal with being bigger then all her friends, she gets depressed because shes fat and she doesn't need to be singled out in class'. She just kept going on about her (non-existent) fat daughter.

I was so upset, I turned to the mother and said 'maybe if you didn't make such a big issue of her 'weight problems' she wouldn't get so upset all the time'...

Once again, I will suggest you all read "How To Handle Difficult Parents" by Suzanne Capek Tingley. It's hysterical but an awesome reference as well!

Hi Everyone,
I love this post, it's so funny. It's 2 weeks before the recital and I had one parent ask me after I reminded them that tickets were on sale for the recital this week and next week, "Oh, we need tickets, what do we need tickets for?" I was so irritated. Then I had one parent say, "Is it too late to hand in the tights order form, I had to think before replying. I wanted to say, yeah, because I already handed out the tights to your children, so they were already ordered and yes, you still have to pay for them even if it's late. Ugghh, I also love when parents tell you their whole life story, I had one mom tell me as I was trying to get my next class started that, Her and her husband are going through a very nasty divorce, I felt like saying that's why your daughter seems so irritated in class.

lidwina wrote:

onlocation wrote:

Everything is a rip-off and too much trouble for them to do themselves.

If sex would be a rip-off too and also too much trouble to do themselves, we wouldn't have so many stupid parents to deal with.

Thanks for the hearty laugh!!!

I've been in business 33 years (God Bless Me!)and have a wonderful school with supportive parents EXCEPT THIS YEAR. It was one for the books and each day it was like I was putting out fires. I do think that people are depressed and that a female dance teacher is someone that seems like an easy place to unload. I also think with having web sites and e-mails available, mothers get in contact with you easily and tell you "what's on there mind" because it's easy. Two examples of this year: because her child left her shoes at the studio (a daily occurrence) and thus were put in the "Lost and Found" The mother wrote me about 1,000 word essay on why I was now responsible for getting her new shows because they should never have been put in the "Lost" and found. (Of course the shoes were right were her daughter left them.) I've also been contacted twice about someone's driving in the parking lot! Like I'm supposed to know who cut the women off and call him up and yell at him.
Also, NO ONE reads. They would rather call you on the phone and read the newsletter to you. dah.

I swear when I read these sometimes I laugh so hard I could pee my pants! sooo glad there's someone other than me dealing with this crap!

YES they are getting stupider!!!

The other night I had a mom come up to me 3 weeks after ticket sales day (she never showed up), saying she wants to get her 5 tickets now. I tell her nicely...Ok these are the seats that we have left.

Her:"What do you mean the seats you have left??? Don't you reserve 5 tickets for us?"

Me" Mam we guarantee that each student can purchase 5 tickets because if each student took their 5 then the auditorium would be filled. So yes, there are 5 for you but they are near the back because you didn't show up for ticket sales/costume day."

Her:"Well I thought you reserved the 5 for us up front?"

Me thinking:(Um ok...then what would be the point of a ticket sales day???)

Her:"We didn't have to buy tickets for the Christmas show."

Me thinking:(Yes because there are like zero costs involved in putting on a Christmas show you nit whit!)

Her:"Ok well then I will just take 3 of the 5." She puts her hands out like as if to say give them to me.

Me:"Ok mam that will be $15.00."

Her:"$15.00???? I though you said we get 5 tickets free and I only want 3!!!! Why do I have to pay for my 3?"

AHHHH

I just LOL at the above post! It's like they realise that they are wrong and just keep digging a hole until they can turn it around and look right. Dig up stupid!!

I was just blown away by one mom this year it left me speechless as she walked out the door.
Purcahses the students costume, attends picture day, attends dress rehearsal, signs off on child's name spelling in the program and then the day before the recital comes up to me: So when does this show take place anyways? (Least I forget the dates were posted in every newsletter sent home since Decemeber -which I know she read, because she attended all the other dates and it was also posted in the studio for months)
I said it is tommorrow, students must arrive by 5:30pm.
Her response was: Oh we won't be at that. Its to late in the evening for us. And then she turns around and leaves.
Where do these people come from?

Oh wow, the ticket sales lady was a trip! i don't know what's up with parents these days... Here's a few highlights from the year:

"Elizabeth can't start classes until October because she needs some time to acclimate to the school year" (Elizabeth is in high school. And takes one class a week. And actually, finally "acclimated" in November. But may have had time for trying ballroom dance somewhere else in the interim.)

For a month or two in the upper level classes have "double sessions" that last for an hour and a half in order to get the choreography out and spend more time going over new routines. But since they have a double class one week, they won't have to come the following week.

Parent: I don't think Haley will be able to stay the whole double class, she has a big English project due Friday. Were you aware of this?????

SO: No, I was not aware of this English project that affects 1 student, in 1 English class, at 1 of the area high schools that our students attend! We've had this double class policy in effect for years and it works. Tough.

I think parents are increasingly having trouble getting their kids to multi-task. So you have an English project due on Friday. But you know you have dance all night on Wednesday - so... find another time to work on the project! I'm sure the assignments been given well in advance. How are these kids going to function in the real world if they don't learn this simple skill? I know my mom would be like - "you left your assignment to the last minute when you know you have dance tonight. I'm paying for those dance classes so you're going. And it's your own fault if you don't do well on the assignment". So next time you know to prioritize your time!