Constructing Effective Interactions with families and our community
Interactions with families and the community are unavoidable, but we must work to make them successful. We must first understand the culture, needs, and values of each family and community organization. Using our knowledge for effective collaboration is like constructing a large puzzle. The knowledge we gain about families and organizations are like pieces to our puzzle. And, how we apply that information is like finding the correct position for each puzzle piece. We must apply our knowledge of the the family and community to plan our interactions and collaboration carefully. When we are knowledgeable of diverse family structures and cultures, we are prepared to meet family needs with respect and competence. In addition to understanding diverse families, we must be prepared to use planning strategies to construct opportunities for collaboration in which the parent feels like an equal participant. Likewise, we must understand the unique values and priorities of local organizations. Once we understand our local agencies, we can work with them to create partnerships that better the lives of our students and our community.