Parents are Your Allies

Most young teachers fear parents more than their students, and this fear is often completely unfounded. Nearly every parent wants their child to succeed in school, and if you share that same desire your students' parents should be your allies.

People run into problems when they don't have clear objectives and procedures that align with such objectives. As a teacher you have to make goals for your students and do everything you can to help them reach their goals. You have to be flexible, humble, respectful, and patient with every student, and especially with their parents. Show parents that you have a plan with an end goal and a logical path to achieve that end goal, and they will most likely be on board.  

There should be no ego or power struggle when teaching a student.  Just like any relationship trust must be the foundation.  As a parent you should trust your child's teacher that they know what they're doing and that they're here to help.  As a teacher you should trust your student's parents to back you up when you need it and to stay on top of their kids to make sure that they finish any homework and attend all lessons.

I've been very lucky so far (knock on wood) and I have a lot of great parents who trust me and have faith in my system and goals for their kids.  As a teacher keep your students' success and respect towards your students as your top priorities, and by doing so you'll eliminate nearly every struggle that you may have with parents.