Ask Polly Bath: “My Parents Said I Could Hit Back!”
Date: September 24th, 2025
Polly answers the question: “What do I do about a student who says their parents told them they could hit back?”
Ask Polly Bath: Lying to Mom About School?
Date: August 5th, 2025
Polly answers the question: “We have a student who constantly lies to her parents about what is going on at school causing her mom to get mad at us! How do we navigate this?”
Partner Up with Parents Early
Date: July 2nd, 2025
If you can build a relationship with a parent early on, it will be so helpful. Then, if you need to have a tough conversation, it’s within the context of that relationship.
Building a Relationship with Parents
Date: January 29th, 2025
Ask Polly Bath: Kid Always Sleeping in Class?
Date: January 25th, 2025
Polly answers the question: “I am a new teacher and I have a second grade student who has literally been sleeping in class since the start of the school year. To date, he’s done absolutely nothing. How can I handle this?”
Ask Polly Bath: Talking with Parents?
Date: October 27th, 2024
Polly answers the question: “I am having trouble with a kid in my class but when I talk to his parents they just say he never acts like that at home. How should I respond?”
Ask Polly Bath: Littles Can’t Separate from Parents?
Date: June 9th, 2024
Polly answers the question: “Younger kids always had difficulty separating from their parent or caregiver when coming to school but I’m pretty sure the pandemic has exacerbated this. Do you have any recommendations to help kids with this?”
Behaviors & Blaming Others?
Date: February 28th, 2024
Ask Polly Bath: I Dread Calling Parents!
Date: December 23rd, 2023
Polly answers the question: “My school requires us to go through some steps with behavior before we involve administration. This makes sense but one of the requirements is calling the parents. I dread calling home!! Very often I feel like the parents blame me for their child’s behavior, and I’m tired of it. Do you have any ways to make this experience more pleasant?”
Ask Polly Bath: You’re a Teacher Not a Buddy
Date: November 11th, 2023
Polly answers the question: “I have a kid in my class who is a ‘buddy’ to their single parent. And they want to treat me the same! I don’t listen to, ‘Hey, dude,’ or ‘Hey girl hey!’ Is there a way to teach, in the moment, that they can’t do this and still have a good relationship with them?”
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