A parent complained about me today

What - you mean you didn't pre-order the girraffes and have them lined up in party hats to guarantee the viewing pleasure of this child?! Well, what else can you expect? <shakes head in disbelief>

How ridiculous! I hope the Head tells them their complaint is silly!

i have decided to say that its ok, as while they didn't the see the giraffe, the giraffe's neck was so long that it saw them

Sounds like the parent is a monkey!

Seriously, what exactly are they complaining about? The fact there were 100 kids (too big/small a group?), the fact a child touched an elephant (good/bad) or about not seeing giraffes.

How about the parent being pointed out the positives from the trip. And if they are THAT incensed, take their child themselves.

?

It's the most rediculous reason to complain and it's not as if the kids are like 5 years old either!

While I am shocked by this I am slowly learning not to become shocked by the things parents complain about!! ? I have one family who complain straight to head every time any little thing goes wrong... Child was off sick, I forgot to send home a reading book with a brother up the school, cue formal complaint and meeting request with the head. Of course it was denied, but what is up with people?! It's like they just sit at home imagining you are going out of your way to deliberately make their school experience horrible. Sorry, I went on a rant! I'm only an NQT and am only beginning to learn the ways of parents!

I would like to warm everyone that these parents NEVER change. I work for a University and our students range from 17 up and we still have mothers complaining to us about their little darlings most of the time the students don't know they have even phoned. I once had to get old of the student who mother had been phoning and kindly asked him to tell his mother to stop hounding us. She had phoned 5 times in one day demanding to know his exam results over the phone (which we don't and can't do - data protection and all that)

The strangest one was when a mother had phoned to say she had just had her son on the phone, he had mentioned the lecture theatre he had been sitting in was very hot and it was now cold outside. She was phoning to complain about the lecture theatre being to hot and she was worried he was going to get pneumonia!

Maybe you should compile a dossier of all the other animals / creatures said child didn't get to see during the trip - that'd really give the parent something to complain about!

Unfortunately, this is the climate we live in. When I was pregnant, a parent complained that it was inconvenient and disruptive to his child's education. While I understood his concerns about me leaving the class mid year, I was only leaving with one term left and their old teacher was coming back to take over from me - so there really was minimal disruption. Exactly what I was supposed to do about his complaint I have no idea.

How very inconsiderate of you to have been pregant during term time! You really should have arranged for some other form of baby delivery that didn't involve you!!!!!!

Good grief. I can't believe the school didn't throw that one straight back. Why was it so important to see a giraffe, anyway? God, I really don't understand some people [walks away muttering sadly]

Back when I was still a childcare manager a parent put in a complaint about me.

It was a summer playscheme, and we'd gone on a trip to an adventure playground. Whilst playing football one of my ankles collapsed under me and within minutes was almost the size of a childs head.

Despite being in absolute agony and unable to walk, and because I was the only level 3 and 1st aider working that day, I arranged for staff to take the kids back to the setting, stayed until they'd all got off safely, rang a taxi to take me home, crawled down into the cellar, grabbed some crutches, went back to the setting, did the H&S and risk assessments for me being there, worked another 5 hours with the kids until 6.30pm when they'd all been picked up, organised the clean up, did the paperwork, then phoned for a taxi to take me to the hospital.

When I got there I found out I'd torn 2 ligaments & a tendon. They stuck a pot on and told me to keep off it for at least 3-4 days.

but because the other level 3 staff were all on holiday & I was the only one with keys and the cash tin I went back the next day.

I opened up, set stuff out, did the risk assessments & after taking advice was told it was best to cancel the trip planned for that day.

because I'd cancelled the trip one of the parents put in an official complaint about me cancelling the trip and spending the day sat down.

no excuses for not knowing what had happened either, the playscheme was a run jointly by 2 management committees, and she was the chair of the one I didn't work directly for.