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    The right conversation strategy can extinguish anger and strengthen parent-teacher relationships

    The right conversation strategy can extinguish anger and strengthen parent-teacher relationships

    By Susan Scott
    February 2010
    I gasped as I read the angry parent email that had been sent to the teacher and copied to me, her principal. I imagined the sinking feeling the teacher would have when she began to read what can best be described as a rant. Knowing how difficult this was for the teacher, I felt protective of her emotional state. I was also wary about getting myself in the middle of this parent-teacher conflict. Mrs. Smith’s two-page e-mail raged about how the teacher was overreacting to her 2nd-grade son’s classroom behavior. Overly dramatic phrases were sprinkled throughout, such as “This has made me question once and for all the efficacy of your methods” and “I await enlightenment.” This was one angry mother and one parent-teacher relationship

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    Authors

    I’ve asked several education colleagues in my Fierce Conversations work to share strategies and experiences as we work together to build the most productive collaborative learning environments. Jamie Sussel Turner, an elementary principal for 12 years, now mentors principals and leads Fierce Conversations workshops. No doubt many of you can relate to Turner’s experience.

    In each issue of JSD, Susan Scott (susan@fierceinc.com) explores aspects of communication that encourage meaningful collaboration. Scott, author of Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success At Work & In Life, One Conversation at a Time (Penguin, 2002) and Fierce Leadership: A Bold Alternative to the Worst “Best” Practices of Business Today (Broadway Business, 2009), leads Fierce Inc. (www.fierceinc.com), which helps companies around the world transform the conversations that are central to their success. Fierce in the Schools carries this work into schools and higher education. columns are available at www.nsdc.org. © copyright, Fierce inc., 2010.

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    Susan Scott (susan@fierceinc.com)leads Fierce Inc.

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