Last Friday a really angry parent tried to punch me.
He drove into the school at an excesive speed in his Mercedes v8 Coupe thing, span his wheels on the school roundabout before driving into a parking space.
I’m on a bit of a crusade just now to stop parents driving like morons at school, so went to speak to him, he tried to argue he had been driving normally, i repeated it was too fast for our school, he wound the window up angrily.
Walked back to school entrance, where I heard the car engine revving, he pulled out, wheelspan down the drive, lost it on the roundabout, had to back up, powerslide around the roundabout and back to his parking space….in front of kids and parents.
Two ways to handle it – leave it, lose face, speak to him again, he loses face – better for one parent to lose face than all of them see me with no backbone
Went towards the car, when this man mountain appeared swearing at me and swinging. My security team pretty much need zimmer frames to get anywhere. Fortunately my boarding staff are large, and they through themselves in front of him.
Lots of calm talk from me, inviting him in to sit and explain why he is so upset, he just kept trying to hit me. some point he did manage to get a punch through to my back.
Security, plus boarding, and two other teachers, managed to get the angry man back to his car, and wait for his very embarrassed daughter.
Won a lot of parental support that day. A lot of negative talk from the local staff who don’t like the way I do things, and support from those that do.
If you are going to ruin your reputation in Thailand try and hit the head of the school. Even being a rich parent doesn’t remove you from that.