The most important thing to remember when your child is performing poorly in school is that the teacher is the first point of contact and the one person who can analyze and give his or her professional assessment of what is going on. But teachers, as dedicated as they are and as creative as they may try to be, have to follow the protocol handed down to them by their administrators and the state. So while she may have an idea of why your child isn’t doing well, she may not be “qualified” to give you her opinion. I’ve had my own child’s teacher tell me, “I’m technically not supposed to talk to you about this, but here’s what I think…” The teacher wants to help but the system won’t allow her to, and she’s understandably afraid to stick her neck out. But if your child’s grades are slipping, don’t wait for his teacher to talk to you. Set up an appointment and ask direct questions, and you’ll probably get straight answers.
