Building Bridges: Parents and Educators Working Together for Children
by Martha Kendrick, Educational Specialist, Center for Community Inclusion
When the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies sponsored a training for parents, Ensuring Inclusive Communities: Education and Training in Positive Supports for Challenging Behavior, an ADD Training Initiative Project, an interesting and dynamic group of parents applied to participate. It was clear from day one that this was a highly motivated, well-informed and ambitious group, one that would present a formidable challenge to the trainers. We discovered that we had as much to learn from these individuals as they had to learn from us. Determined to fully realize the promise that this six-day training series held out to all of us, we began our quest. A year and a half later and well past the "end" of our training, the quest continues.
This group of parents was ready, willing and able to accomplish something during this training that would truly make a difference in the lives of their children. The trainers decided to use a Path planning process (Pierpoint, O'Brien, & Forest, 1992) to assist the group in determining what that something might be. The Path helped the parents to develop a unified vision of a positive future for their children with special needs. Next, they set goals grounded in this vision, explored the current situation. determined who would be needed to assist in the realization of the goals, discussed what resources would be needed and clarified the steps needed to accomplish their mission.
The parent's goal became writing a book for educators that would help them to understand what families need. As the training continued, so did the passion for communicating to educators through "the book." The group determined their focus topics and brainstormed what helps and what hurts related to these topics. During each of the sessions, a tape recorder captured the comments that parents made related to parenting their child with special needs and working with their schools. Many of these comments eventually became quotes in "the book."
When "the book" was finally finished, the parents were asked what
they wanted for a title. The group agonized over this decision.
Finally, after much debate, the parents decided to call their book
"They Just Don't Get It" What Families Want Professionals to Know
About their Children. They chose this title because it was true to
their feelings as they wrote the book. "They just don't get it!" was
the most often heard expression during the group's brainstorming
sessions. Parents were struggling with ways to express their need and
be understood by professionals. They recognized also that,
professionals often share that same sentiment when thinking about
parents, that parents too sometimes do not understand the daily
realities of being an educator. How could the gulf in experience and
understanding between parents and educators be bridged? This was the
Challenge set before this group of parents who were determined to
make some headway in addressing the problem. The cry went out "Let's
take the book on the road!" The parents realized that their work was
not over with the completion of the book. They wanted to use the book
as a springboard to dialogue with educators. Thus was born the parent
workshop for educators "Building Bridges: Parents and Educators
Working Together for Children." The parents worked with staff from
the Center to plan the workshop and discuss the "hows and whos." An
application was sent to school districts throughout the State
inviting their participation in this workshop. Ten school systems,
the first to apply, have had the workshop presented in their towns
this fall. Because of the overwhelming response to this workshop by
school systems throughout the State, the Center for Community
Inclusion hopes to schedule additional workshops during the winter
and spring months. This initiative between parents and schools is
beginning to turn "problems" into "opportunities." If your school
system would like more information about this workshop, please call
Martie Kendrick at the Center for Community
Inclusion and Disability Studies, (207) 581-1084.
Centerpoint is the newsletter of the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, Maine's University Affiliated Program.
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