Questions to Ask the Principal if Your Child Hates School

When Can I Conference with My Child's Teachers?

• The school principal may be the person in charge, but he probably doesn't interact with your child on a daily basis. Ask for a conference with the teachers who are physically in the room with her day to day -- her homeroom and P.E. teachers -- as well as teachers of any enrichment classes she attends. Ask to talk with the playground monitors, the lunch ladies or the bus driver.

Has My Child Had Referrals to Your Office?

• Ask the principal how many times your child has been sent to his office in the past month and why she was there. Were there other children involved? Did each child have the opportunity to tell his side? What were the consequences for each child? Does she routinely act out in class? Are there other children in the class having the same sort of issues? Ask the principal to call you if your child shows up in his office again.

Does My Child Have a Problem I'm Not Aware Of?

• Ask the principal if your child has any issues of which you are unaware. Is there a hygiene problem? Does she tend to bully other children, or let others bully her? Does she have close friends? Does she respect other people's space and privacy? Is she happy and participatory at school, or shy and withdrawn? Sometimes children who are outgoing and rowdy at home will clam up in a group situation.

Talk to Your Child

• It may be your first inclination to go straight to the top, but skipping the chain of command at your child's school is usually a bad idea. It can damage your relationship with her teacher, and most principals think it's a bad idea as well. It will benefit your child most if you talk with the people who see her regularly and know her best, but don't forget to talk to your child -- your most important source of information.