Respectful relationships with children and families

[Kayleigh]

I still believe communication is a huge part in making relationships and also gaining respect. The communication helps to keep everyone up to date on how things are going in the classroom and also at home and keep parents and teachers on the same page. I do think that the understanding of diversity also plays a part in the relationship, when we understand that everyone is different and have different cultures, beliefs. This also helps to teach the children about this. It does help with understanding more about myself and i hope this will help with teaching the children from our own experiences.

[Ruth]

These sayings may be old but I believe they still hold some weight to them; "Give respect to receive respect" and "Treat others the way you want to be treated". Do these things along with open communication and kindness, you'll start developing a respectful relationship with the parents of the kids in your classroom. Having a respectful relationship with the parents helps build trust, comfort and security, feelings a child and parent want to have towards you. Having these feelings lets parents know that they can trust you with their child, comfortable that they are leaving their child with someone who has the same interest for their child as they do and security that they can count on you to communicate openly with them about their child's well being, progress and state of mind.

[Alton Earle]

At risk of stating the obvious, the real basis of respectful relationships is "respect." I suppose an "understanding" of diversity is a great start, really. For me, I never expect two people to be the same. In fact, in many cases even a single person can be quite different culturally/mentally/emotionally depending on the situation. So, for me the automatic assumption is diversity, not homogeneity. Kayleigh, communication is critical. Ruth? Yes, give respect to receive respect. That really works well for our teachers who expect respect from the students. The teacher must first respect the student for exactly who he or she is :-). Even the challenging ones, who are often the budding geniuses, need respect.

[Shae]

Communicate with the families and keep an open mind, go into the conversation with no judgments about the family or the culture that it is okay if the family does things differently, in fact, it is amazing that they do. If you go into the conversation with a clear understanding of yourself and that you have accepted yourself you will more likely be able to accept others easier.

[Nailah]

above all i agree communication is key, but we must also teach the children to respect each culture and differences. As the care giver of the children we should not only teach but let them experience each difference in any way possible. its one thing to know facts, but they need to know how it feels and what its like to abide by different rules. the better the children know the differences the better respect they will have for one another through understanding.