13 Things Your Kid's Teacher Won't Tell You

1. If we teach little kids, please don’t tell us that our jobs are “so cute” and that you wish you could glue and color all day long.

2. I’m not your marriage counselor. At a parent/teacher conference, stick to your child’s progress, not how your husband won’t help you around the house.

3. We’re tired of standardized testing and having to “teach to the test.”

4. Kids used to go out and play after school and fix problems on their own. Now, with computers and TV, they don’t have communication skills.. They don’t know how to get past hurt feelings without having the teacher to fix it.

5. When I hear a burp, I remember that a student’s manners are a reflection of his parents’.

6. Your kid may be the center of your world, but I have to share mine with 25 others.

7. Please help us by turning off the texting feature on your child’s cell-phone during school hours.

8. Guys who dribble a ball and run fast can make up to $20 million a year. We educate future leaders and make about $51,000 a year.

9. We take on the role of mom, dad, psychologist, friend, and adviser every day. Plus, we’re watching for learning disabilities, home issues, peer pressure, drug abuse, and bullying.

10. Kids tell us about your secrets all the time—money, religion, politics, even dad’s vasectomy.

11. Please, no more mugs, frames, or stuffed animals. A gift card to Starbucks or Staples would be more than enough. A thank-you note would be even better.

12. We love three-day weekends as much as your kid does.

13. The students we remember years later are happy, respectful, and good-hearted, not necessarily the ones with the highest grades.