News-Record.com

A cover story in the current Time magazine points out how overzealous parents can make a teacher's life sheer hell.

Titled "Parents behaving badly," the piece cites a survey in which "90 percent of new teachers agreed that involving parents in their children's education is a priority at their school but only 25 percent described their experience working with parents as 'very satisfying.'"

The teachers surveyed cited involving parents and communicating with them as their toughest challenge; 73 percent said too many parents relate with schools and teachers as if they're the enemy.

Says one Colorado teacher in the story: "I called the parents on a discipline issue with their daughter. Her father called me a total jerk. Then he said, 'Well, do you want to meet someplace and take care of this man to man?'

My experience as a volunteer in Guilford County sees three sides to this story locally:
1) overbearing, blustery parents who know it all, who consider any teacher guilty before being proven innocent and around whose children the entire universe rotates;

2) supportive, helpful parents who see value not only in working with their own children but with others';

and 3) some school officials who are less than welcoming to parents and other volunteers who can make a difference.

The article also questions whether overreaching parents are hovering so much over their children that their poor kids aren't learning to think for themselves.

Reminds me of a story a couple of years ago about parents who follow their children to college. One mother rented an apartment in Durham to be close to her freshman daughter at Duke.

Puhleeeeeeeeze.