education

Teachers, Caregivers, and the Community hile a teacher’s or caregiver’s time and energy are primarily devoted to young children and their families, they will find that it is also advantageous to tune into, and network with, the larger community. Examples of useful connections include “service providers and organizations such as Catholic and district school boards; […]

Why the Parents Don’t Come   The following vignette is a true story as recalled by Joseph, an American Indian who attended elementary school in the early 1970s. His experiences are certainly not universal and unlikely to happen today. However, his story illustrates the ways in which children’s experiences stay with them for many years

Families of Children with Special Needs In recent decades, families of children with special physical, social/emotional, and cognitive needs have become significantly more empowered by the passage of federal laws supporting them. Over time, these laws have come to include even the youngest children, as was explained in Chapter 2. In addition, research over the

Approximately 20 percent of children living in the United States do not speak English at home.   Source: U.S. Census Bureau, October (1992, 1995, and 1999) and November (1979 and 1989) Current Population Surveys, and 2000–2009 American Community Survey. Place Your Order Here!

Children who speak a language other than English at home   1979 19891992 1995 19992001 2005 2007 2009 2003 100 50 40 30 20 10 0 Pe rcent   Children who speak a language other than English at home Children who speak a language other than English at home and have difficulty speaking English Children

Diversities of Cultures and Languages Most likely you will have children from family models and cultures that are not the same as your own. It is also possible that they will come from countries with languages that are unfamiliar to you. Even if, on the surface, your community seems homogeneous, there will be economic and

When More Focused Strategies Might Help The previous suggestions should see teachers and caregivers through a variety of general home–school interactions. There are, however, more specific situations to consider as well because, of course, children and their families do not fit into one general mold. We have already introduced statistics showing the great diversity of

Tips, Strategies, and Plans for Caregivers and Teachers CHAPTER 8   their family. · Remember to ask parents their perspectives on their children’s strengths or challenges; don’t just lecture to them. · Begin and end every meeting with something positive (the “bread” in the communication “sandwich”). Other types of communication: Formal parent–teacher meetings should include

In person (formal meetings and conferences): · Before a school year begins, contact or visit children and their families to introduce yourself. Give each child something small to bring the first day; even a simple pencil provides a sense of belonging and knowing at least one thing to do and something to look forward to.

General Strategies for Home–School Interactions The following ideas come from your authors’ and other writers’ experiences as well as from actual research (Arndt & McGuire-Schwartz, 2008: Kersey & Masterson, 2009; Keyser, 2006; Powers, 2005; Souto-Manning, 2010). In person (informal): · Say at least one positive thing whenever you talk with a parent. · Stay both