Communication requires both sides. Parents are encouraged to listen during the meeting to gain as much information as possible about their child's educational program. If parents have issues with their child's program, parents need to clearly communicate their concerns honestly. A parent should not feel intimidated. They need to be confident and ask the necessary questions to make sure they agree with their child's education programs (PACER Center, 2002).
www.pacer.org/parent/php/php-082.pdf
Professional development is changing due to the new common core standards. Since common core places new demands on educators, professional development needs o reflect the changes. Common core presents additional concerns in meeting the unique needs of students with disabilities. The educational system is currently looking into techniques and strategies to offer educators teaching children with disabilities and common core standards.
www.blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2012/04examining_the
In my county, there have been trainings to help educators understand the unique needs of children with disabilities. Different disabilities cause certain behavioral concerns as well as developmental delays. The trainings help educators recognize issues in order to put interventions in place which will benefit the entire class. The educators participated in a book club which was a fictional depiction of a child on the autism spectrum. During the book club, teachers opened up about the unique needs of their families. They began to understand some of the challenges parents go through.
Our society is very diverse. Educators are learning how essential it is to inquire about different cultures. The families must see the importance of early childhood education where politicians will view the parental commitment by investing their time. Families must feel respected and understood in order consider committing their time to early childhood education.
"It takes a village to raise a child." -African Proverb-
That is great that educators receive the training to work with children with disabilities. To many times educators get into a role of working with families and their children with disabilities, but donot know exactly how to work with them. The educators may not know the resources to give to the parents that can help their child. I think educators wanting to work with children with varying disabilities should receive some training and learn all they can on the different disabilities.
ReplyDeleteYou raised an excellent point...communication is needed on both sides. However, many times, communication is only strong on the administration/staff side and weak on the parent side. In order for this to be effective, communication (from both sides) must take place during ongoing everyday operations. However, not only during operations, but during planning and program self-assessment/review. In order for communication to be effective, both sides has to contribute, as well as, be included intentionally.
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