Monday will be my 4th field trip of the semester and I am soooo exhausted. On Tuesday, SACs will be at PHS all day and you can imagine the tension floating around at my school. I have expressed to my kiddies the importance of the visit on Tuesday and the need for their best behavior. I think they will be ok as long as the lessons are interesting and engaging. Along with the SACs visit, I've been at my daughter's school off and on for the last 3 weeks (before school, after, during, and I even took of on Tuesday to "pop-up"). It seems as if she is having difficulties learning her multiplication, spending her time socializing and being the "life of the party". On a daily basis I receive notes about behavior that is generally good but no notification about academics until I receive the progress report 1 week later. I think this is ineffective because in no way am I able to support the teacher and be on top of my child's potential a week after the fact. My little one is in the 3rd grade and I swear, everyday from 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm, I'm Laura Ingals-Wilder and my home is the Little Red School House (LRSH). I am teaching math after teaching L & J all day and I am so frustrated until I do not know what to do. I've had conferences with the teacher, the teacher and the principal, the asst. principal and the teacher and my child on numerous occasions all to no avail. At this point I do not know what to do short of taking my child out of this class and having her put in one where she will be held accountable for her actions and be able to learn in a positive environment. It is not like I am not a visible parent and unavailable. I work in the same district where my child attends school, the teacher has every number/email available for myself, husband and grandmother. All of the adults in my child's immediate life are at school functions when I can't be because of my profession so the support of the school is there. I've email the teacher, call her at home (she gave me her number), and my school is less the 5 mins away from my daughter's. So why can't I get some conversation from the teacher outside of the weekly progress report? Did I say I am frustrated??...Did I mention my child was an automatic referral to the gifted program this year because of her ITBS scores? Scores that show a deficiency in Math might I add so enrichment and tutoring is needed. Now I am not taking the responsibility off of my child and "throwing the teacher under the bus"..I'm just saying...can I get an email or something when she is clowning so that I may do a drive by on my planning in an effort to diffuse the comedy act? All it takes is one time. I still can remember the time my mother "popped-up" at my elem. school. I was put out of class for talking too much. She embarrased the heck out of me and you know what..the teacher had no more problems out of me. I quickly learned that my mom was not to far away and anytime she wanted to come to my school she could. I know times have changed and so have children. I expect my child's teacher to go thru the same pecking order as I am required to when a child is failing or being disruptive. Not because it is my job but because I care. I make as many calls, emails, detentions, conferences needed to reach my students. This informs them that there is a direct line of communication between their parents and I. I've even stopped class during a disruption and called as many parents as I needed to get some order. Now, I am not so rigid that my student's personality and charisma is disallowed in my class. I've learned that there are some things I can't change and sometimes students act silly or talk a lot to mask the embarrassment of not understanding. Well I have vented and I am opened to any suggestions from parents and teachers alike...lol..parents and teachers alike...that we are.