0.2 Part two: special topics  (Page 35/39)

The essential role of parents

• When parents are the ally of the teachers, the chances for student success are greatly enhanced.
• Parents are the ones who know their child - a crucial element for successful teaching. (Remember, the more we know the children weteach, the more we will be able to reach him/her.)
• Working with families honors cultural diversity, affirms the value of families as the cornerstone for the development of a human being, andbuilds the communities in which we live, learn, and teach

Techniques for Working with Parents

• Ask parents their opinion about the education of their child.
• Always listen with an open mind.
• Try not to "justify" your position as being right - in opposition to the parents.
• Be willing to admit if you do not know something or even if you believe you may be wrong.
• Help parents look beyond the immediate situation and focus more on long-term solutions and long-term goals.
• Strive to create situations in which your position and the parents' positions find common ground so that it is perceived by both as"win-win."
• If you have made a commitment to do something as a result of your interaction with parents, please make certain that you keep theparents informed of progress. Most important: Do what you say you are going to do.
• Find ways of praising the child in front of parents or if you are with the parents alone. In fact, the more you send these positive messagesearly on, the easier it will be for parents to hear you if you need to communicate difficult news later.

Classroom management

Student energy needs to be channeled in appropriate directions. Children often misbehave because:

• They are encouraged to misbehave by their peers or community members who mislead them.
• They do not understand the norms of appropriate behavior.
• They are driven to misbehave by "internal" factors - neurological or physical disorders

Traditional management techniques may not work as well for students with special needs. It is important, therefore, to makedistinctions between what you see as behaviors that you will not tolerate or negotiate, and those behaviors you can tolerate or negotiate.

Level 1: These are behaviors that you will not negotiate. They usually involve issues surrounding safety of the student and others in the classroom. In these cases, the student must respond to your direction.Clearly outline in advance what the behaviors are that you expect.

Level 2: These are behaviors that you are willing to negotiate. You can counsel the student about such behaviors privately and work with him/her to see that fewer incidentsarise.

Level 3: These are behaviors that, in the scheme of things, are not that important. Certainly they do not endanger the safety of others.

Your Attitude

Never use sarcasm. It cuts deeply into children

Never use shame. Shame is an emotion one uses as a personal measure to determine whether one's actions have beenappropriate. It is not an emotion to be used as a weapon.