Initial Thoughts on Collaborating with Families

1.) Teachers need to remember that the families of the students with disabilities are just normal people. Teachers need to know that most families who have children with disabilities are constantly juggling many emotions such as anger, guilt, sadness, anxiety, depression, etc. They need to understand that the parents and maybe even the siblings of a child with disabilities is very stressed. Teachers most importantly need to understand that keeping the family involved within the classroom is VERY important.

2.) I think that teachers really need to work hard to establish a strong relationship with the parents of a child who has a disability from the very beginning of the school year. I think some teachers make the mistake of waiting until something goes wrong to try and establish that relationship. As the textbook and the second part of the lecture stated the family knows the child best. It is always a good idea to communicate with the parents of the child because they truly do know the student best. The book also stated that teachers need to put a considerable amount of thought into what they are going to say to the parents of a student with a disability and how they will phrase it because you do not want to offend the student or their parents. Most likely the parents will be overprotective of their child so the last thing you want is for them to feel like you are mistreating their child within the classroom. I would just say establishing a healthy relationship with the parents from the beginning of the school year and staying in constant contact with them is the best way to build a positive relationship with those families.