A Father's Unique Approach to Tackling His Teen's Attitude

A father from North Carolina, USA, was continually receiving complaints from teachers about the troubling behavior and discipline issues of his teenage son.

The father, Corey Johnson, decided to take matters into his own hands when yet another call came from his son’s teacher, lamenting both his lack of academic effort and severe disciplinary problems.

"It's no secret that teachers have one of the hardest jobs in the world," he says. "Teachers not only have to teach the required material but also manage difficult behavioral issues. Educating teenagers is no simple task. We are the ones who must help, get more involved, and motivate our child. A child's success isn't just dependent on the teacher or the principal, it depends on us, the parents."

It all began when Johnson received an especially poor report card from his son, reflecting not just low grades but also terrible behavior in class. An idea dawned on him: "If my son is such a tough nut for the teacher to crack, then there's one way to educate him—by getting involved myself. I decided to ask for permission from his teacher to sit in on my son's eighth grade classes at the middle school to keep a closer eye on him."

And what did he see?

"Honestly, I was shocked by everything I saw. It was the stark opposite of everything me and my wife know, understand, or teach. Parents, our kids are out of control at Northwest Middle School," Johnson wrote in a special post he shared on social media. "The sheer disrespect our kids show to teachers—it's just mind-boggling. Including my own kid. And it's not normal. Where is this coming from? Educators are struggling to teach, literally repeating the same line several times to try and make something stick, and even then, it's just barely working. What can be done to really educate, to bring these kids back to a sane level of respect for the teacher and the educator?"

"I'll tell you the truth, I'm worried," Johnson tells his son and classmates. "If my son continues down this path, I'm concerned about what's going to happen. I didn’t study properly, and my salary is very low. You can be better than me—go to school, earn degrees, and get an education. You can succeed in life, earn more than I do, you can do it. All you need to do is seriously try to learn, without causing trouble in class."

Now, Johnson calls on other parents to join him and closely "supervise" the students. "I plan to continue sitting in my son's classes until his behavior changes. From the moment he leaves my house to when he returns, he's going to do what he's supposed to do in class and at school—learn. Even if it means I have to watch over him and be present in classes every day," he concludes.