2nd time around

Parent Teacher Conferences came around again. And I survived them. Again. Sheesh, the stress leading up to it leaves a rather anti-climatic ending when I don't really get to see very many of the parents... and it really couldn't matter less what the state of my classroom is because it's not like they care. Or maybe they do? For all of thirty seconds.
I have discovered and officially decided though, that if I ever just need a source of stress from an adult, all I need to do is go talk to the mother of one of my boys. She came up to me and told me she was thinking to pull her son out of Title 1, a special class for those who need extra help. Because "it might help his social life" I just about flipped! There is NO way it would more help his social standing than it would hurt his learning, no way to justify that sort of action. He's jumped 23% in his reading since the beginning of the school year, to now. I need the other teacher he goes to, to help him see, and work with him individually- so that he can grow. Besides the fact that this child, recently had to get glasses, and just guess the kind of glasses she got her son? These are like huge, thick-rimmed black glasses that just scream NERD! Sadly, but true. He 'broke' his glasses a few weeks ago... he knows they don't help his in his social life. And here she is, thinking that compromising his learning, is going to help his social life. Well it's not.
She kept saying that she's taught before, and seen kids so awkward like her son, grow up and become competent and wonderful adults. I don't know who she's specifically referring to, but I think something she's missing is the fact that in these children's lives somewhere there was someone, who finally said "You know what? I'm NOT giving up on you, and you are going to prove to the rest of the world, and yourself, that you are worth believing in. You are going to DO this" she just expects it to magically happen without help. And that pains me.