Dealing with Difficult Parents: Using a Circle of Influence Instead of a Circle of Authority
Description
One of the most challenging tasks for a school leader is dealing with difficult parents. But most times parents do not set out to be difficult, well at least 95% do not. Most parents who have to have an encounter with a school leader about a situation involving their student are not looking for a pass for their child. They are simply wanting to advocate for their child's success. School leaders are charged with making many difficult decisions throughout the day, and their role is oftentimes categorized as managerial being more work focused rather than people-focused. Leaders of any organization, including a school, are expected to "get things done". Leaders with a managerial mindset ultimate goal are to do things right, and they tend to follow the rules no matter the situation. They are not very flexible or people-centered, and they operate using a circle of authority. If leaders want to be effective in creating a positive culture of collaboration with the parents of their students, they must use a culture of influence that focuses more on doing the right thing rather than doing things right. This book provides practical tools and strategies for assisting highly effective leaders in creating a circle of influence when dealing with difficult parents.
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Person
Lisa Moore is a dedicated school leader and is devoted to assisting other leaders in avoiding common mistakes of school leadership that she made along the way. She obtained her Doctorate Degree in the field of School Improvement from the University of West Georgia and is currently the principal of a Title I elementary school in a suburban city right outside of Metro Atlanta. She has a strong knowledge of education with a total of five years as a classroom teacher and eighteen years as an administrator at both the elementary and middle school levels. Lisa developed a strong sense of devotion for working with culturally, linguistically, diverse students due to her own personal experience in a low income, highly diverse school setting and from having the pleasure of working in a Title I setting for most of her educational career. Throughout Lisa's tenure as an administrator she has developed a talent of using a circle of influence to handle difficult situations rather than a circle of authority, and she shares her simple but successful strategies for dealing with difficult parents in this book.
