What teachers really want to tell parents.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

The "take it as you would a lawyer or Dr's advice" thing is kind of weird just because even with those types of matters, people consult more than one Dr. or laywer all the time and it's normal.

If something a teacher says raises an eyebrow, then I would definitely talk to maybe another trusted education professional that you may know.

Ex: A friend of mine's daughter who had a teacher who labeled her as having autism and needing to be placed in the classroom with children with intensive special needs. It raised an eyebrow with her as the only delays the child had were speech related. She consulted some other specialists who tested her and determined that it was a hearing issue causing her not to speak. Not autism as the teacher strongly suggested.

So I agree that it's normal and healthy to seek out multiple opinions.

Ugh, teachers need to not diagnose. Making referrals, expressing concerns, reporting behavior/capabilities/etc are all fine, but diagnostic professionals need to diagnose. (Parents should do the same, notice behaviors, express concerns, even do research but not diagnose. And of course seek a second opinion if red flags are raised. It's just worse when the teacher as authority figure does it.)

Without being a parent or a teacher, I'm going to guess that there's some truth in both 'sides' of the story. Some parents need to listen more and defend their child less, some need to question the teacher more or seek a second opinion particularly if something doesn't seem right.