I’m still the one that parents call. The regular teachers haven’t made any effort to get in touch with the parent just to find out how they can work with them. There should be a lot more, but I think it all ties to the fact that the regular teachers still don’t see these kids as their responsibility. Even the parents don’t see the regular classroom teacher as responsible. They still see me because they’ve dealt with me for three or four years.
Despite the difficulties, the value of parent participation in program planning for students is most apparent. The parents’ aspirations and visons for the child’s future are important and need to be incorporated into the overall program planning. Some schools ensure that parents are involve in initial planning to the extent that their goals for the child are a basis for the school program:
We’ve had parents in for planning sessions and we get very beneficial information from them. Parents have just provided us with so much information that has helped in planning for the students. For example, they said their child likes to do this or he really enjoys doing that. To get from the parents the things that have occurred [at home] is very helpful.
We discuss the programs with the parents. We ask them for suggestions, what they would like and then we try to incorporate those suggestions as much as we can into the program. We maintain close contact with parents. The teachers maintain that contact as well.
Teamwork with the Principal
The relationship between the M&R teacher and the principal is crucial to the success of integration and it must be supported and nurtured.
M&R teachers feel that principals must understand the role of the M&R teacher.
