Get this: your kid's teacher wants you to be involved.

There's a sweet spot of involvement, though. Too little, and it seems you're not supporting your kid and the education he or she's getting. Too much, and you come off as overbearing, the dreaded "helicopter" parent.

So how can you advocate for your child while still maintaining a healthy relationship with that other adult in their lives? We have a few things you can do to help smooth interactions with any teacher:

• Check your motivation. Are you trying to prove your child's innocence (even if they're holding the broken mug), or are you trying to solve a problem? Where you're coming from will color your interaction, as well as how you perceive your child's teacher.

• Be open and honest. If you're confused by the class rules, ask. If you're baffled by homework, bring it up. But do these things with kindness and a spirit of curiosity, rather than judgment. Maybe the kids have the same questions, and it's your job to know how to be tactful in finding out the answers.

• Be respectful. We can't expect our kids to respect the teacher if we don't respect the teacher. Badmouthing a teacher in your child's presence is a sure-fire way of creating stress and anxiety for both the kid and the teacher. Plus, kids have big mouths and it will 100% come back to bite you. (At least it'll make for a good story?)

• Know that your child behaves differently at school. There's always the one who can't get enough of saying "My parents think I can do no wrong," "I don't have to do what you say," or "My mom won't let you do that." Do you want that to be yours? The fact of the matter is that kids behave very differently at school and at home—sometimes doing things that would absolutely horrify their parents. So be wary about always taking your child's side. Of course the dear will always be your little angel, but maybe that angel occasionally sprouts some horns in different settings.

• Give your kid's teacher the benefit of the doubt. Even though it's a common parental fear (not to mention a student fear), teachers aren't out to get your child. Rather, they see a whole different part of your kid's personality, motivation, and behavior from what you see at home. The teacher will have a better peg on what's happening at school, and believe it or not, teachers rarely have motivation to lie about a child. They are looking for your help to solve a problem.

• Offer insight and assistance. Teachers are experts in their field of study, but you are an expert when it comes to your child. You know what works and what doesn't. Most teachers appreciate any insight you have—especially if you have a challenging kid.

• Teachers are people, too. Cliché? Yes. True? Absolutely. These people will have good days and bad days. Most of the time teachers work hard not to let negativity spill over into meetings and personal interactions, but sometimes they slip up. If this happens once, write it off as a bad day. If it's multiple times, sure, it might be a bigger problem. But for the most part, be forgiving and flexible, and try to understand your child's teacher just as you want that teacher to strive to understand your kid.

• A little bit goes a long way. We're talking decent human kindness, here. You don't have to shower teachers with gifts, buy them drinks, or kiss up. Sometimes a simple "thank you for helping my child" means the world; plus, it can be the salve after a particularly difficult meeting.

Your kiddo's teacher is a vital part of a team in which you and your child are key players. When parents come in with guns blazing, that's an encounter that rarely turns out well. It just increases stress and leaves everyone feeling horrible.

It's when parents come in with the attitude that a problem can be fixed, and try to work along with instead of against the parent, that the best outcomes are reached. The best outcomes for whom? The children, of course.

Regardless of whether you and the teacher get along, what matters is that everyone involved has got the future generation at heart throughout the process. Cheesy, we know, but it's just plain true.