Creating a Safe Environment

Effective collaboration with parents can be achieved once all concerns of both groups has been taken care of. First and foremost parents want what is best for their child yet do not necessarily have the right tools for the job. On the other hand, “often family relationships are the casualties of life in the fast lane.” (Likona, 1992). Social and economical factors all play into this and usually the parents will be do what they perceive is best even though it may harm the child or cause unneeded stress on the child. That being said schools really need to have a good understanding of where their students come from and how the parent or parents think. A simple way would be to send out a questionnaire for parents to fill out in order to get an idea of possible road blocks that may arise in a collaborative effort.

I think educational is essential and the presentation of what is wanting to be taught is critical to any effort. We need to navigate through the effort in a way that keeps people receptive to learning. “Some parents even espouse values that are the direct opposite of what the school is trying to teach.” (Likona, 1992). With a barrier like that in place it is hard to take down so that further education is possible. Without proper education for the parents creating a safe environment for the child is near impossible and any efforts will cease to exist.

As a parent I want what is best for my child and at the same time am receptive to anything that may help in that goal. Knowing that there is a grey area in every situation makes it hard to do one thing for every situation. Although biting is bad there are situations in which you need to bite someone and its in that grey area where one can impress upon those resistant to character education in an informative approach to teaching it to them that we want their child to be successful and yet we know our program will not work in all situations but it will help give the child another means to better...