Handeling Parent Concerns

Enormous tension ran completely through my body as I observed my son working through his martial

arts lesson.  His lackadaisical effort accompanied with his rambunctious spirit was absolutely driving me out of my mind.  My true desire was to grab, shake him and remind him that I was working a second job to pay for his lessons.

 Parents often come to observe their child's training after a long stressful day at work.  I truly remember wanting to jump on the mat and choke my son a couple of times and I am a master teacher.  All I can say is that it is a good thing we don't have to torture ourselves by watching our children all day as they attend school.

We all know that children will play and have unfocused times during training.  The key is to have realistic expectations for their progress and hold them accountable to realistic standards.  Parent concerns are a real thing.  They need to be addressed with care and concern.  Remember parents work hard to make sure their children are successful and get the best out of training. 

We follow a 5 step process when addressing parent concerns.

• Acknowledge
• Relate
• Point out positive progress
• Connect progress to the end goal
• Dream build

Let's examine how each step is handled.  

Acknowledge 
Let the parent know that you saw what the child was doing.  Most of the time clients just want to make sure you are aware and not ignoring the situation.

Relate
Make sure to tell the parent that you understand how they feel.  Use examples of your own stories or the stories of other parents in the studio.  Explain that what they are feeling is perfectly normal.

Point out positive progress
The best instructors point out positive behavior.

Connect progress to the end goal
Relate the positive behavior you witnessed to the overall goal parents are looking to achieve and explain how the student has made progress.

Dream build
Use the terms "just imagine"  when Johnny can focus like he did on that drill the entire class. Explain how it will effect him in other areas of life.  You can also tell a story about another student and how it worked for them.

Remember parents are looking to you for the answers and they many times just need the reassurance that the program will "work".  Make sure you take the time to listen and give extra help to students that may need one on one attention.  When a parents have concerns I always take time later to analogize how I can make the drills more engaging or make my interactions more positive.  The more you recognize positive behavior the less parents recognize the negative behavior of their children.

“Tammie Lawrence is an educator who has taught in public and private sectors as well as a Master Martial Arts instructors.  She  trains aspiring young teachers how to engage students to make learning fun and  successful.  Tammie is known for her work with inspiring positive mindset changes and goal setting."   She can be reached for seminars and workshops at Golden Tiger Martial Arts, San Bernardino, CA  92407, 909-881-9603