Text Disappears Behind Background Elements

...I am having trouble getting text boxes to stay visible.  They keep disappearing behind other elements (container boxes and/or shapes) and I cannot get them to stay visible no matter how many times I click "bring forward" on the text box or click "send backwards" on the element behind it.  I have tried different docking options and any other formatting I can think of.
...Can anyone suggest why this is happening and how to make it stop?  It's VERY frustrating!
Thanks!