Teachers will always decry that they need more parental input with their student's parents, but beware. Oftentimes when teachers say that, they don't mean it. Some teachers actually don't like when parents try to help, and they view their input as interference. Understand and no teacher will admit this, but many times how a teacher feels about the parent will manifest in how the student is treated. So tread lightly at your child's school. I have seen my son thrown under the bus, because of something that I thought was positive that I did; so I know of what I speak. Listen to the hidden cues that your child's teacher gives you when you attend conferences, or check how quickly or slowly they return your calls, if they get returned at all. See how receptive your child's teacher is to your sitting in a class. Make a mental note of how situations with your child are handled. Does the teacher call you or just make decisions about your child without your consent. Does your child's teacher always give you short answers? Does your child stay in trouble for the slightest infringement? Does your child ever get picked for special assignments around the school? Do you ever get calls just because the teacher wants to give you compliments about your child or does the teacher only call when there is a problem? Well, you know what your instinct is telling you, so trust it. If you want to change your child's teachers attitude toward your child, you must change your relationship with that teacher. This can be done in several ways, based on the relationship that you have had with the teacher. Be here are some helpful hints. Call the teacher sometimes just to express gratitude for their time educating your child. Always stay positive when having to discuss any issue concerning your child with his teacher. Never get into an agruement with the teacher, even if the teacher is dead wrong. Always try to make peace, because this educator holds your child's future in his hands. Just as long as the teacher isn't abusive to your child, deal with these squirmashes in an upbeat way. An enemy in your child's teacher translates into a hassel for your child in school. Remember any relationship with this teacher is temporary, one school year normally which is only 180 days. You can make nice for that long, because if you don't and your child fails the class, you will most likely have to deal with that same teacher again and the second time around will be worse than the first. So as Woody said in Toy Story to Sid, "play nice."
