You are a good person and I commend you.
I love my daughter's teachers, and appreciate the work they do. I like to believe they appreciate that we pay attention to what is going on. They know they will see one or the other, or both my husband and I on parent/teacher days, and that calls or notes sent home are appreciated in this house.
We are not parents that will always side with our child no matter what. We are the first to acknowlege that she has a tendency to talk incessantly, and can be as stubborn as a mule when she makes up her mind - two things we deal with on a daily basis and are not surprised when the same traits are noticed in the classroom.
I don't know how much time the teachers spend dealing with other parents because it is none of my business, but if the level of contact, at their instigation, I have with them is any indication, all I can say is we did the right thing in choosing to live in this school district.
You are absolutely the kind of parents that kids (and teachers) need. I really applaud you for being such. It's parents like you that really make teaching worth it. When I had a parent the other day say, "I just can't say thank you enough for all you do," it made my day, Despite all the rhetoric of the propagandists (both liberal and conservative), it really comes down to parents and teachers working together and having a common-sense attitude. It's your getting involved that will help your children be a success. I appreciate my parents for having been the same way.
My husband and I are this way, because it is the way our parents were as well.
I feel we were very fortunate in that her teacher from last year (kind) was moved up to 1st grade this year and requested the same class. My understanding is that the principal didn't even blink at the request, as it is something he strongly believes in. So I already have a built in relationship with the teacher. The computer, art, and music teachers are also the same as last year.
The only teacher I have not yet met, but will at the parent/teacher day next week, is her reading teacher. As with computer, she is above grade level in reading. Unlike the computer class, where, although she stays with the 1st grade class she does higher level assignments, with reading she is in the 2nd grade class. I have corresponded with the teacher, but I am looking forward to a face to face meeting.
Call me old-fashioned, but I just don't understand parents that don't work with the teachers. There are two, 2-hour parent/teacher opportunites each marking period, and I didn't miss one last year. I was absolutley appalled at being only the second parent to sign in with my daughter's teacher, with only 30 minutes left before the PTA meeting which follows each one.
I work as a volunteer in our literacy program for 2nd and 3rd graders. Mainly it involves just listening and helping children in oral reading. Going into it during my first year, I thought the children just needed a little extra help. One of "my" little girls improved so much over the first few weeks, I made a comment to her about how proud her parents were going to be listening to her read. She very candidly told me that no one will listen to her read at home. She became a special one to me in that moment and has inspired me to stay with the program. I've never forgotten her. It's been four years and she still runs up to give me a hug.