Do teachers really like invovled parents?

The answer is no! I say this b/c I worked in the school system and saw how some educators were annoyed by the involved parent, and I experienced it first hand as an involved parent myself. Yes, teachers complain all the time about parents who don't show up for meetings or return calls, etc. But the truth of the matter is they really don't want parents to be that involved b/c it holds them accountable for their actions as teachers.

Especially, when a parent has a child with special needs a teacher really becomes annoyed by a parents efforts to ensure that their child is receiving the support services they are entitled to. This puts too much pressure on the teacher and administrators to actually do something on behalf of the child. Often times a parent can feel the resentment coming from educators, which often leads to their child being targeted for attack.

I remember a teacher going out of her way to get my son in trouble to prove some kind of point. My son could also feel her hostility and began to hold information back from me until the end of the school year when it was too late to do anything about what was taking place. He'd rather suffer in silence than cause the teacher to dislike him anymore than she already did.

Recently, I attended a tribunal meeting for a student and it was very obvious that this student was being targeted for attack by the principal. Can you believe this student was having a tribunal hearing b/c he gave a friend an advil for a headache? I thought for sure they must have thought he was dealing with illegal drugs or something, but it was clear that everyone involved knew it was just an advil. The principal recommended the most severe punishment for this student, which was rediculous. He wanted this student to attend alternative school for 90 days and only return if certain conditions were met. In addition, the principal recommended the student attend a drug awareness/prevention program. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was obvious that the student didn't know that having an advil was against school rules. All of a sudden this particular student went from having very little discipline referrals to numerous referrals upon entering his current school where this principal was in charge. In addition, the parent and grandparent shared information about negative attitudes and comments made by this principal towards them both.

Again, a similar situation occurred with my son where the number of discipline referrals increased due to a certain teachers input who I knew resented my efforts to ensure that my son received the accommodations he required in order to be successful. This teacher went out of her way to label my son as a behavior problem. I know that many other involved parents of students with special needs have had similar experiences. If you are one of them please share your story.