Aaron's At Home Case Study
1) What are the teachers’ concerns about Aaron and speaking with the father? China is concerned because recently Aaron’s play has been getting rough and children are getting hurt. When she talks to him about his behavior he acts like he does not hear her. She has also noticed that some days he does not listen or follow directions from other adults. China is worried about speaking to Aaron’s dad about her concerns because she is worried about how he might feel. Most days is seems like Aaron’s dad is preoccupied and in a rush to leave. She is concerned about Aaron’s at home. Are his siblings too rough? Is Aaron’s dad having trouble handling little Aaron’s behavior? Is he getting the appropriate care and attention when at home?
2) What …show more content…
are the fathers’ thoughts and concerns about the situation and Aaron’s teacher? Aaron’s dad is grateful for the program and knows that while Aaron is there he is in a good place and learning.
Overall he feels that the teachers are great. However, there are times that he feels that teachers are making assumptions about his involvement with his children. They do this without knowing what is going on at home. He is a single dad of 5 whose family has struggled with poverty, drug abuse and violence in the neighborhood. He is trying hard to exclude the negative influences from around the neighborhood and worries how his children react to seeing the violence. He knows the importance of being involved in the classroom. He sometimes feels that he is not welcome in the classroom and once experienced a teacher questioning why he was there.
3) Ho do race and culture impact this teacher-family relationship? Cultural perspectives influence how China understands and teaches children. She has learned to understand behavior through the context of her own values and beliefs. One culture sees Aaron’s behavior as physically active and more emotive while the other culture believes it is aggressive. Learning about the differences between cultures can help China to better understand Aaron’s behavior and help her not to make assumptions or judge as “good” or “bad”.
4) What are three strategies from chapter 7 that could be useful in thinking about how to move forward with this
dilemma? One strategy that will help China and Aaron’s dad to move forward in this dilemma is to schedule a time for China to visit the family at home. “Home visits are an excellent way for every teacher to establish more comfortable relationships with families, and children usually love the idea of their teacher visiting them at home.” (Bredekamp, pg. 225) One of the concerns of Aaron’s dad is how little Aaron reacts to the violence around him at home. I think China will gain a better understanding of what Aaron goes through in his neighborhood by seeing the environment first hand. With the new understanding, she can then begin to jointly work on strategies with the family on how to encourage positive situations for little Aaron. Another strategy to be able to move forward with this dilemma is to create two-way communication by having a parent-teacher conference. “More effective conferences promote two-way communication (Hanhan & Kartoshkina, 21012). Teachers not only provide parents with information about their child’s progress but also listen to what parents say about their child’s development and learning.” (Bredekamp, pg. 224) China needs to schedule this conference during a time that is convenient for Aaron’s dad and allow plenty of time so that they do not feel rushed. During the conference she needs to support respectful two-way communication where both teacher and parent address any issues or concerns. China and Aaron’s dad need to work together to come up with goals for little Aaron and way to help him to reach them. The last strategy in moving forward in this dilemma is to set up regular communication between China and Aaron’s dad about little Aaron. I think that sending home a daily note will give Aaron’s dad a better understanding of what goes on during the school day. “Written notes, text messages, or e-mails that take little time are essential.” (Bredekamp, pg. 222) The daily note could include how he napped, played with friends and interacted with the teachers. China could send this home in writing or by e-mail everyday. By using e-mail to communicate with Aaron’s dad it can also encourage him to connect with her at any time.
5) What do you think will happen next? I think that China will take the necessary steps to create a better working relationship with Aaron’s dad. I feel she will open the lines of communication with Aaron, and little Aaron, to find a way to connect school and learning to his life. She will have a conference to discuss her concerns with Aaron’s dad. During this conference, she will take the time to understand his viewpoints and hear his concerns. They will work together to come up with options and solutions that will involve family and teachers in reaching the goals that have been set for little Aaron. She will then follow up through daily progress reports and continued open communication with the family. China will also work on creating a better classroom environment in which parents feel welcome and are encouraged to ask questions, share information and give recommendations.
2) What …show more content…
are the fathers’ thoughts and concerns about the situation and Aaron’s teacher? Aaron’s dad is grateful for the program and knows that while Aaron is there he is in a good place and learning.
Overall he feels that the teachers are great. However, there are times that he feels that teachers are making assumptions about his involvement with his children. They do this without knowing what is going on at home. He is a single dad of 5 whose family has struggled with poverty, drug abuse and violence in the neighborhood. He is trying hard to exclude the negative influences from around the neighborhood and worries how his children react to seeing the violence. He knows the importance of being involved in the classroom. He sometimes feels that he is not welcome in the classroom and once experienced a teacher questioning why he was there.
3) Ho do race and culture impact this teacher-family relationship? Cultural perspectives influence how China understands and teaches children. She has learned to understand behavior through the context of her own values and beliefs. One culture sees Aaron’s behavior as physically active and more emotive while the other culture believes it is aggressive. Learning about the differences between cultures can help China to better understand Aaron’s behavior and help her not to make assumptions or judge as “good” or “bad”.
4) What are three strategies from chapter 7 that could be useful in thinking about how to move forward with this
dilemma? One strategy that will help China and Aaron’s dad to move forward in this dilemma is to schedule a time for China to visit the family at home. “Home visits are an excellent way for every teacher to establish more comfortable relationships with families, and children usually love the idea of their teacher visiting them at home.” (Bredekamp, pg. 225) One of the concerns of Aaron’s dad is how little Aaron reacts to the violence around him at home. I think China will gain a better understanding of what Aaron goes through in his neighborhood by seeing the environment first hand. With the new understanding, she can then begin to jointly work on strategies with the family on how to encourage positive situations for little Aaron. Another strategy to be able to move forward with this dilemma is to create two-way communication by having a parent-teacher conference. “More effective conferences promote two-way communication (Hanhan & Kartoshkina, 21012). Teachers not only provide parents with information about their child’s progress but also listen to what parents say about their child’s development and learning.” (Bredekamp, pg. 224) China needs to schedule this conference during a time that is convenient for Aaron’s dad and allow plenty of time so that they do not feel rushed. During the conference she needs to support respectful two-way communication where both teacher and parent address any issues or concerns. China and Aaron’s dad need to work together to come up with goals for little Aaron and way to help him to reach them. The last strategy in moving forward in this dilemma is to set up regular communication between China and Aaron’s dad about little Aaron. I think that sending home a daily note will give Aaron’s dad a better understanding of what goes on during the school day. “Written notes, text messages, or e-mails that take little time are essential.” (Bredekamp, pg. 222) The daily note could include how he napped, played with friends and interacted with the teachers. China could send this home in writing or by e-mail everyday. By using e-mail to communicate with Aaron’s dad it can also encourage him to connect with her at any time.
5) What do you think will happen next? I think that China will take the necessary steps to create a better working relationship with Aaron’s dad. I feel she will open the lines of communication with Aaron, and little Aaron, to find a way to connect school and learning to his life. She will have a conference to discuss her concerns with Aaron’s dad. During this conference, she will take the time to understand his viewpoints and hear his concerns. They will work together to come up with options and solutions that will involve family and teachers in reaching the goals that have been set for little Aaron. She will then follow up through daily progress reports and continued open communication with the family. China will also work on creating a better classroom environment in which parents feel welcome and are encouraged to ask questions, share information and give recommendations.