THERE are two different types of parents but both can be a hindrance to teachers trying to provide a good education to their children.
Some parents constantly nag teachers about trivial matters, or are up in arms when their children are punished even if it's justified.
And then there are those who just don't seem all that interested in their children's education and treat their teachers more like babysitters.
Many teachers feel this over-interest, or the lack of it, are the main challenges they face.
A teacher at a primary school in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur told the story of a Year One pupil who frequently plays truant to go to a cybercafe.
"When the parents found this out and questioned their son, he told them he didn't want to go to school because he was scared of me.
"Believing their son, the parents came to our school and complained about me to the headmistress instead of reprimanding the boy for not going to school."
She said that in fact she didn't even know the boy and had been in his class only once or twice as a relief teacher.
She said another teacher had been threatened by an ex-convict because his daughter refused to go to school, saying she was afraid of the teacher.
She wonders if children are becoming more cunning and manipulating their parents.
Or is it that parents are not taking the time to check with the school when their children complain?
A senior English teacher at a secondary school in Seri Kembangan said some parents treated schools as places to keep their problematic teenagers.
"Often these children are weak in their studies and can't follow the lessons, so they disturb the others or sleep.
"Some of the upper secondary students have night jobs and come to school just to sleep and rest."
And when the school contacts them to discuss their children's problems, she said, the parents don't turn up.
It is only when the school threatens to suspend or expel their child that they finally come to the school.
A teacher who taught at a secondary school outside Kluang, Johor, said she was surprised to find many of her upper secondary students working part time as waiters and waitresses at a hotel.
She feels this shows a lack of interest on the part of their parents in making sure they get a good education.
"Instead of providing a proper environment to encourage their children to study, they seem to have given up on them," she said.
The Seri Kembangan teacher also raised the issue of indiscipline, saying that the schools often don't receive the support they need from parents and other authorities when there is a problem.
She said the discipline teacher's car was vandalised twice after she had disciplined a group of problematic students.
When she lodged a police report, it was suggested that she ride a bicycle to school instead.
"The police forget that they should play a role in disciplining students guilty of vandalism, playing truant or extortion.
"A police warning can act as a good deterrent," she said.
In order to produce excellent students, she added, everyone must work together -- the school administration, teachers, parents, community leaders and the police
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