Preparing for Resolution: Week 5 Blog Assignment

I have not had any conflicts or disagreements of late. However, I have been contemplating an upcoming meeting with the parents of one of my students. At this meeting, I will be addressing learning issues this particular student is experiencing. This student is in the fifth grade and this is the first time these issues are being addressed.

I am not anticipating that there will be conflict, but just the same, I want to be prepared because there is a possibility the parents will have difficulty hearing that their son is in need of extra help. No parent wants to hear their child faces issues that warrant special services and I truly wish I did not have to deliver the news.

In preparation for this event, I plan to have the needed documentation to support the child’s need for further testing. Along with the documentation I want the parents to understand I have the student’s best interest at heart and I want him to get the help he needs so he can succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. More than that, I want to know what they as the parent want for their child. I want them to know that I care and want to work with them to give their child what he needs and to support them in their parental responsibilities. I want to make sure I am respectful of the parents and help them understand their rights and their child’s rights. I want to be responsive to the families’ needs and open the door for the respect and responsiveness to be reciprocal.

How am I going to do that? First, I am going to warmly welcome them. Then I am going to ask them what they love about their child and what they want for him. I will then tell them all the positives I feel their son exhibits. I will say, “I am hoping you can help me.” I will then outline the issues their son is facing. Next, I will outline the plan I have developed, and ask them for their support and if there is any additional things we can do together to help their son. By incorporating school/teacher strategies with parental strategies I hope to create a joint effort and plan where the child will be the beneficiary of being supported in his life by those who care for and want the best for him.