[SWTXBelle]

Literally, I have 5 minutes before I head out the door to teach. Sweet irony . . .

Drole - While I could post everything I found to be hostile, I suspect that you would then disagree, and this could go on and on. It goes back to the whole "tone" thing in some cases - in others it goes back to the lack of respect given to teachers and their training, which leads me to . . .

Dr. Phil - While somewhat tongue in cheek, my comment about parents' perspective goes to the idea that it's an us/them situation. Most teachers I know are parents; most parents I know are not teachers. So teachers have an insight into the parents' position and roles that most parents do not have about teachers. The education I was speaking of was the education of teachers, not education in general. While you might question a doctor, you would not deny him/her the fact that he/she has devoted a great deal of time, money and effort into his profession. He/she is trained and has knowledge you do not. Why is it that you (and much of society) will not give teachers credit for their chosen profession? I too have spent much of my adult life learning to educate. It is an on-going process. The same people who will gleefully tell posters to "Stay in his/her lane!" if they start to discuss a subject in which they have no personal knowledge will have no problem assuming that teachers have no special insight, knowledge or training about education. The whole "every situation is different thing"? REALLY? Thanks for that insight. But we are talking in general terms about the things that are constant, not those that vary.

All I've advocated is a relationship of mutual respect; parents respect teachers and their profession, and teachers recognize that parents have a unique insight and knowledge about their children. If my advocating a non-adversarial relationship between parents and teachers as they partner to teach the student is wrong in your opinion, um, okay.

Off to teach Comp. 1301.