#24 Working With Parents From Diverse Cultures by Francesca O'Hare

Objectives:

1. Students will discuss characteristics of successful parent/teachers conferences.
2. Students will become familiar with some of the diverse ways other cultures view school and childrearing.

Activities:

1. Supervisor will ask students to write for five minutes about what they think are characteristics of successful parent/teacher conferences.
2. Supervisor will ask students to share and elaborate on their ideas; all students record the list on their own paper.
3. Important characteristics to be included in list:
   1. begin and end with a positive aspect of child's work or behavior
   2. solicit and address parent concerns
   3. provide specific examples of child's work and behavior
   4. make gentle suggestions which parents can implement at home
   5. be an effective listener and speaker (be receptive, pay attention, seek agreement, avoid ambiguity, remove distractions, be patient)
   6. be prepared and enthusiastic!
4. Use attached as an overhead to describe some characteristics of other cultures that might hinder effective communication (be sure to emphasize that the cultural values and behaviors outlined represent only some of the many possible variations that may exist within the various cultures).

Knowledge as a Result of Seminar:

An openness to cultural differences; and a confidence in conducting parent/teacher conferences that will result in positive changes in the child's work or behavior.

Assessment:

Verbal responses to two scenarios of parent/teacher conferences:

1. As Ms. Jalpy discusses the bake sale with the teacher from next door, Mrs. John Brown, an African- American woman, enters the classroom at 3:59 for her 4:00 conference. Ms. Jalpy says to her, "Please sit at the green table." Mrs. Brown proceeds to the table and sits for about 7 minutes while Ms. Jalpy finishes her conversation. Then Ms. Jalpy walks over, stares directly into Mrs. Brown's eyes, and says, "Keisha is really having trouble paying attention during math and science. I see Mr. Brown didn't make it, are there problems at home that I should know about?"

   1. What are some improvements that could be made here?
      (greet Mrs. Brown, be on time to the conference instead of chatting with the other teacher, relate a positive experience with Keisha in order to establish some rapport)
   2. What are some important issues to be covered in this conference?
      (ask parent if she has any concerns; ask if there is a better time for a conference when both she and Mr. Brown could attend; provide examples of Keisha's work; if Mrs. Brown asks for suggestions, try to phrase them in a way that is not condemning or belittling, for example, "Another child, Brad, was having trouble with addition also and his mother told me that she started doing activities at the dinner table which helped him, like counting silverware and counting peas.")

2. Mr. Ogbu had set up a display of Jose's work and had placed crackers and juice out at a table. As Mr. and Mrs. Martinez arrived, Mr. Ogbu greeted them and asked if they had trouble finding a parking place. Then he offered them crackers and juice and began to relate an episode from the playground where Jose had aided a mobility impaired kindergardener off the slide. He proceeded to discuss the fact that Jose was having trouble staying awake during reading and queried if they knew why this might be happening. Mr. Ogbu was careful not to stare directly into the eyes of either parent. Mr. Martinez stated that he had recently transferred jobs and he was now working the 3-11 shift. Jose was having difficulty with this transition because he was used to spending the afternoons with his father; and since his father was getting home so late, he was staying up to see him. They all discussed solutions to this problem, and a few other matters. Then Mr. Ogbu presented the Martinez's with a drawing Jose had done of their apartment building. The Martinez's were delighted and Mr. Ogbu walked them to their car.

   1. What are some positive characteristics of this parent/teacher conference?