ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses one of the biggest challenges principals face is supporting teachers and other staff members when they come under criticism of parents. If a student is sent to the office for a minor infraction and is assigned two hours of after-school detention. However, if leader do not communicate to the teacher what they did as a consequence, and possibly explain how that decision was made, the teacher may not feel supported because he or she might not even know what occurred. Then teacher is much more likely to "feel" supported then in the previous non-communicative two-hour detention assignment. Never underestimate the power of this emotional reassurance. It is a critical component and should be kept in mind when supporting teachers in any way, but especially when supporting them with students and parents. One of the most powerful gifts a leader can give others is the gift of confidence and eliminating the line in the sand with volatile parents.
