These days, more and more teachers choose to communicate with parents through the platform of WeChat groups. While it greatly narrows down the distance between teachers and parents, it can however, also bring about troubles.
A couple of weeks ago, two parents quarreled in a WeChat group. It all started when one parent complained about teachers releasing children’s test results, arguing that it may hurt some parents’ feelings. Another parent expressed his support for the teacher and gradually a debate evolved into a competition of nasty name calling.
Confrontation in parents’ WeChat groups is not limited to parent-to-parent communication. Sometimes, things can get pretty tense between teachers and parents, too. A month ago, a mother was dubbed “unworthy mom” by her son’s teacher, after they failed to agree on whether the child should attend a math contest.
So, how can we prevent WeChat from being used as a platform that takes a negative turn and ends with feuding and disagreements?
Here we list 4 Things parents hate to see in their parent WeChat groups, a small insight allowing us all to take a check on our own behavior!
1. Flattering
Some anxious parents can’t shake off the feeling that the teacher may neglect their child, so at every opportunity they try their best to impress the teacher. Every time a teacher posts something to the group, they reply instantly with compliments.
2. Sharenting
While it’s accepted that parents will share their children’s private moments with relatives and friends, things change when some parents ‘overshare’ on their WeChat posts. There is nothing more frustrating than checking a WeChat group for fear of missing something important, only to find a photo of a boy eating spaghetti.
3. Asking for votes
To some parents, if their child is in the running for a prize or title (i.e. “the cutest girl” or “super boy”), helping them win becomes their only goal. They ask for votes over and over, without realizing this rapid fire of requests is not only disturbing and annoying to other parents, but also contains the risks of leaking personal information.
4. Ranking of the kids
WeChat groups are established for parents to learn more about their child’s performance at school, so when teachers release test results and student rankings to a group, some parents understandably panic. “It’s like a ticking bomb. I’m in constant fear that my son will be called out for his faults at school,” said Cai, a father of a 9-year-old boy. “I hope things like this can be addressed privately, to remove any embarrassment in front of the other parents.”
[Images via The Paper]
