Assignment:
Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read How to Talk to Parents About Their Misbehaving Child.
Including the child's family in problem solving a child's challenging behavior is essential. Parents know their child best and they can offer you information including background knowledge that can help you determine the proper strategies to help the child in the classroom. The better you know the child and know the child's home situation the better equipped you will be to respond in the classroom. It is important to work with your families, not against them. You want to involve them and ask questions, not tell them. Respect is essential.
After reading of the course text, address the following questions:
• How will you prepare for a meeting with a family when a challenging behavior occurs?
• List three strategies you will use when meeting with a family to discuss their child's behavior.
• Examine your own attitude and discuss whether or not you think families are responsible for how their child behaves at school. Support your stance.
• What data and records will you bring into the discussion to help move the conversation forward in a positive direction?
• Beyond these considerations, what other factors may be involved?