70. “It isn’t an Attack on You”: Dealing with Difficult Parents with Guest Zach Matson

Dealing with difficult parents can be one of the worst things about teaching secondary science. So many of us would love advice on how to handle challenging situations, what to say when issues arise, or how to stop taking things personally from teachers who have been there and figured it out. That is one of the reasons I brought my high school chemistry teacher, Zach Matson, back on the podcast!

Zach is a 20 year teaching veteran who is full of amazing insight and advice for high school science teachers and today, he is talking all about dealing with difficult parents. He has had his share of difficult parents over the course of his career and he is sharing some great advice and tips for handling these situations. In this episode, we are talking about how to handle emails from difficult parents, setting boundaries, how to deal with a potentially failing student, and what he has done in cheating situations.

Zach will be back again next week talking about admin and coworkers. Be sure to follow or subscribe to the Secondary Science Simplified podcast wherever you listen so you don’t miss it!

Resources Mentioned:

• Check out Zach’s YouTube Channel, Matson Chemistry
• Send me a voice recording for the “Teacher Appreciation Week Gone Wrong” episode
• Join the Secondary Science Simplified virtual professional development course waitlist
• Send me a DM on Instagram:@its.not.rocket.science
• Send me an email: rebecca@itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com 
• Grab your Classroom Reset Challenge
• Follow, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts.

Check out the show notes for all resources mentioned in this episode: https://itsnotrocketscienceclassroom.com/episode70