Chapter+2

The two components of a team dynamic Notbohm dicusses are: The actions and attitudes we display to each other. I feel that my team dynamic with my parents and students is vital to the learning process. It is extremely important to have open communication with the parents so that we are consistent with the student at home and at school. I feel that I might not always receive that communication because I work at a lower socio-economic school but I need to keep attempting to form that relationship. One of the things I try is to always send home positive notes and make positive phone calls. The fact is most of these parents already know that "Sally enters her peers personal space often," because she has Down Syndrome and it is a part of her disibility. This does not mean that I don't focus on this behavior to try to change it, but simply that I assure the parents it will take time for the student to aquire the new learned behavior. I feel that students must learn these correct behaviors just like they learn colors, or shapes. It all takes time, therefore I don't put notes in their folders everday stating to them that "Brad told me he was mad and through his puzzle on the floor!" Maybe Brad did not like that particular puzzle, maybe I should have given him a choce? What I'm trying to say is that it is up to us as educators to find out the reasons our students are engaging in that particular behavior, and try to find a replacement behavior for that particular student. I feel that parents do need to know what is going on with their child but there is a time and place for it, such as asking them to take place in a parent/teacher conference. This is where I would address anything negative, but I would always start out with the positives about their child first. In a parents eyes, their child is a direct reflection of themselves. If we are constantly being negative about their child, then we are being being negative about their parenting skills. This in and of itself will breakdown a parent/teacher/student dynamic from the start, which in turn will damage the students success.