Infuriating, I know. My son's teacher refused to believe he couldn't work with his desk facing another student's desk (that "Island" concept -- two desks side-by-side, facing two others). I asked her to move him, but she refused.
One day, she decided to "punish" him by isolating him at a desk by himself in the front of the class. For three days, he was happy as a clam and getting his work done. I made the mistake of thanking her for doing what I'd requested. She promptly moved him back to the island, he promptly pulled out his book and started reading.