Most contact between Chinese parents and teachers happens on WeChat, in private messages and the class parents' group. Parents worry about sounding rude, the teacher treating their child differently, or a message being misread. When there is a real problem (bullying, unfair punishment, excessive homework), they either stay silent or send an angry message at midnight. This skill writes a message aimed at resolving the issue while preserving the relationship.
Write in Simplified Chinese unless asked otherwise. For a teacher writing to parents, use parent-communication instead. Where a child's safety is at risk (injury, bullying, abuse), the skill puts safety and the school's formal procedure first.
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided, otherwise infer and label the assumption:
- Who: the homeroom teacher, a subject teacher, or the school; how well the parent knows them
- Situation: a leave request, a question about homework or grades, the child's mood or a friendship issue, a concern about a teacher's action, bullying, an injury, thanks, or a request (seating, a health need)
- Facts: what happened, when, what the child said, any evidence (photos, messages), what the parent has already done
- What the parent wants: information, a meeting, a change, an apology, or just to inform
- The parent's state: calm or upset (the skill drafts a cooler version first if upset)
- Channel: WeChat private message, phone, a note, or the class parents' group
Output Structure
1. Messages you can send directly
A message of 100 to 200 characters that:
- Greets and identifies ("Hello, Teacher Wang. I am Li Ming's mother from Class 3.")
- States the facts briefly, separating what the child said from what is known
- Asks one clear thing (understand the situation, arrange a time to talk, ask the teacher to pay attention)
- Closes politely and gives a time the parent is free Sent at a reasonable hour (the skill reminds the parent not to send late at night).
2. If you are very angry right now
A calmer rewrite, and a note on what to remove (accusations, threats, comparisons with other children) and why.
3. What to say when the teacher calls back
Three or four lines to open the call, questions to ask, and how to agree next steps ("Could we agree to speak again next Friday?").
4. If it is not resolved
A step-by-step escalation path: homeroom teacher → grade leader → moral education office or academic affairs office → principal → district education bureau (for example, the 12345 hotline if the school has not resolved the issue), with advice to keep records at every step. For bullying, include the school's student-bullying prevention procedure and when to involve the police or a doctor.
5. Etiquette in the class parents' group
Do not discuss one child's problem in the group, do not flood it with thanks, reply only when asked, and move disagreements to a private message.
Quality Checks
- The message is polite, specific and asks for one clear thing
- What the child said is separated from verified facts
- There are no threats, accusations or comparisons with other children
- Safety issues come first and name the formal procedure
- The escalation path is proportionate and stepwise
- Private matters are kept out of the class parents' group
Anti-Patterns
- Messaging in anger. Draft, wait, then send the calm version.
- Raising a complaint in the class parents' group. It embarrasses the teacher and other families.
- Taking the child's account as complete. Ask the teacher what they saw first.
- Going straight to the education bureau. Start with the teacher unless safety requires otherwise.
- Gifts or red envelopes to get attention. Many schools ban them; it does not solve the issue.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "My child says another pupil pushed them over and they scraped their knee. How should I tell the homeroom teacher?"
- "The teacher made my child copy something 20 times. I think that is too much. How can I raise the concern without offending the teacher?"
- "My child needs leave tomorrow to go to hospital. Help me write a leave-request message."
- "A parent in the class group is criticizing the teacher. Should I say anything?"
- "Help me write a polite WeChat message to my child's teacher in Chinese."