Karen parents demand special consideration for their children at any cost, even if that means disadvantaging others in class. Their demands create a Tragedy of the Commons situation where time, energy and resources of teachers are being depleted by selfish parents’ demands for preferential treatment for themselves alone.
Administrators often give in to these parents’ demands for change by teaching them that “squeaky wheels get the grease.” Teachers find themselves bogged down with stress and burnout.
1. Don’t Take It Personal
As it’s well-known, teaching can be a difficult and time-consuming job, and requires patience from its practitioners. But many don’t appreciate just how much this patience must extend towards dealing with sometimes demanding students and parents, such as Karens (Karen is short for Karens).
As their name implies, Karens are teachers who tend to feel superior to everyone in their classroom and frequently have what’s known as a “Karen complex,” where they believe they know more than everyone else. Karens can often be difficult to teach and tend to throw coworkers under the bus in staff meetings when disagreements arise – acting antagonistic towards anyone not part of their clique or who doesn’t think like they do. Furthermore, Karens often claim their status as victims against teachers they believe have discriminated against them (ie giving their child less grade). Karens use false victimhood against teachers they believe have discriminated against them (ie giving their child less grade than another child).
Karens are often known for pushing for preferential placement even though test results and teacher recommendations do not support such demands, then later alleging bias by teachers when their children did not get that preferred spot. Furthermore, they have been accused of showing bias against LGBT+ people and other minority groups.
As entitled Karen parents can be quite intimidating, teachers need to remember that their behavior reflects on themselves rather than on whomever they’re dealing with. By taking time to listen and empathise with a parent or student they may find their attitude and behavior changing significantly.
However, teachers who stand their ground and enforce rules will find that students and parents are less likely to act out and will understand that it’s not personal. Furthermore, it is crucial that issues are clearly articulated, while using non-inflammatory language or taking any actions which might escalate the situation further.
Taken the above advice will enable teachers to remain calm when encountering an entitled Karen teacher. By remaining composed, students or parents will soon realize it’s not personal and will stop trying to manipulate them.
2. Don’t Act Out
Teachers require much patience. Their time is often consumed juggling multiple classes, helping students who are struggling and dealing with rude or entitled parents – issues which lead many teachers to leave the profession after only five years in the classroom.
Although other factors certainly contribute, Karen parents are one key contributor. Karens are privileged white women who know about and exploit their privilege, often using it against people of color or those they perceive to have lower social standing. Their characteristic features may include bleach blonde bob haircuts and designer labels at exorbitant prices; but what really sets them apart from other white women is their entitled attitude and sense of entitlement.
One of the key aspects of Karen parenting is its lack of empathy towards others. These parents seem intent on creating success for their children at all costs, without regard for how their actions might negatively affect others around them. These people may insist that their kids don’t need to wear masks, keep schools open even when COVID-19 spreads rapidly in the community, or resort to pearl-clutching “what about the children” arguments when things don’t go their way.
When Karen parents voice complaints about their child’s grade, it is essential to listen and sympathize with them while remaining firm in your stance. While parents may attempt to convince you their case is an anomaly, you must prove the accuracy and reasonableness of their grade by checking for errors in grading systems or raising expectations as necessary.
At the same time, it’s important to remember that many parents who complain about academic achievements use them as leverage against teachers in an effort to get more of your time and attention spent on their child, which means other students in class might miss out. This issue becomes especially troublesome when only one teacher exists for many different pupils.
3. Don’t Make It Personal
Teachers need a great deal of patience when handling classrooms of students. But they also must have it when dealing with entitled parents that come through their doors. One way teachers can manage both situations effectively is to show empathy towards student’s plight by showing understanding for them; this will reduce anger while assuring student that they’re being treated fairly.
Karens are well known for their sense of entitlement and tendency to complain about everything that does not go their way, often making false allegations that their child is being mistreated by other students, teachers, administrators or being discriminated against in some way. If their rights feel like they have been violated they may demand speaking with management or calling the police as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, school systems and administrators frequently believe Karens. Perhaps overwhelmed with work or by parents making numerous requests that seem ridiculous to them, or because placating Karens seems like the fastest route to success for themselves professionally.
Karens can be dangerous for their victims. They frequently employ false victimhood in order to manipulate and control others, while being seduced by those around them. At some point though, their actions will catch up with them, with consequences flowing back towards them as punishment from God himself.
There are ways to diffuse a potentially volatile situation and keep Karens at bay, however. One effective strategy is addressing them through your administrative assistant or guidance counselor instead of directly; this will reduce interactions and give your administrator time to resolve issues before they escalate further. Another great strategy would be providing more feedback throughout the semester on student progress; this can lessen surprise when final grades arrive while showing that no special favoritism exists between different students.
4. Stay Calm
Karens can be intimidating and exhausting for teachers. Their demands can often come across as arrogant or arrogantly, thinking they know better than colleagues or students. Additionally, Karens often use charm and charisma to persuade others that their views are correct and may lie to cover up tracks or get what they want; therefore it is crucial for educators to stay calm when dealing with such parents who expect everything for free.
As a teacher, you know the patience it takes to manage an unruly classroom of students. But you can use that same mental toughness when speaking to entitled Karen students. When they try arguing with you, keep eye contact and don’t react when their comments try to draw arguments out; this will demonstrate that you won’t give in or be intimidated by bullying tactics from them.
If a student becomes aggressive or belligerent, it’s essential that their anger be diffused through empathy. Tell them you understand their frustration at having difficult discussions with their teacher but make clear their behavior is inappropriate and will incur consequences.
Teachers often feel overburdened and demoralized by Karens, leading to frustration, discouragement and resentment of their jobs. Teachers may come to believe their hard work is not appreciated or valued – leading them down a toxic work path where they feel powerless or unsupported from administrators who oversee them.
Unfortunately, school administrators can fall prey to Karens and let their charms influence them in ways that undermine teachers for personal gain. Perhaps they find it easier than dealing with their own resentment and frustration by placating these parents instead of fighting back against their unfair tactics; or alternatively they might fear it will hinder their career advancement if they go against Karens directly.
