United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Which is better a phone call or a note?

E-none of the above. You GO IN. Face to face. It's simple.
1) say what you noticed....."My daugther told me she brought this to your attention and you dismissed it."
2) say what you felt/feel....."I was very disheartened, surprised, angry, "

side note: If you want to say what you 'think', you need to take accountability and start it with "I imagine..." this way they are never on the defensive.
2 con't) "I imagine you were too busy to care for her, or inexperienced with these matters"

3) say what you want...."I want you to respect what she says in the future, and contact me asap if anything remotely like this occurs again. Will you please do that?"

You get a "yes." great. done.
You get a "no." great. Go have the same conversation with the principle.

As a teacher, I would encourage you to let it go or let it go with just a note. Especially with young children, they frequently have kids coming up with all kinds of ailments. For something such as an earache, I probably would've had her wait it out knowing there was nothing the school nurse could do for it before the end of the day and without a fever they probably wouldnt have called you. Please cut the teacher some slack. We are not doctors, and for every parent who wants to be called for each ailment there are three who ask for it to be a serious illness (fever, vomitting) before they send the child home.

To be honest, it sounds like you're upset with the school overall and want to take out your frustration. The teacher however is not responsible for all the other things.

If you still feel upset about it however, the best thing to ALWAYS do is to politely send a note or email asking that they immediately send your child to the school nurse when complaining. However, be prepared for many phone calls and early pickups throughout school if thats the route you choose (which you're entitled to) to take.

Just wanted to add to SusanLynne that any face to face contact with a teacher should be done with an appointment. Teachers are often rushed at the end of the day trying to get to meetings, classes or other scheduled conferences and at the beginning of the day with regular preparations. While I think your approach is meant to be intimidating to the teacher and she wont appreciate you for it, at least have the courtesy to make an appointment first. No teacher will say no to that and will appreciate your courtesy.

And parents, please dont ever go to the principal FIRST. Its so insulting to a teacher. Its like your client or co-worker going to your CEO rather than coming to you to deal with things directly.

I got an earache in a matter of minutes one time. It was so bad that the doc couldn't even look into my ears. As far as the teacher. I do understand their point of view. Some kids just love to go to the nurse. I can tell you that because I volunteer at my son's school and see it all the time. On the parents side.....I have sent kids to the nurse because the teacher wouldn't and as a parent I knew the child was sick....everytime they have a fever. If the teacher doesn't have kids it is not always easy. Talk to the teacher and if that doesn't work then go to the principal.