More Details on Parent-School Interaction

To help the parents and school work together for the benefit of the children in Sri Atmananda Memorial School, the school and the parents participate in parent-school interaction opportunities:

Parent-School Tours — Incoming parents for each campus are given a tour of the campus so that they can see how the campus runs, and how the Approach is applied in the campus.
Parent-School Workshops — Parent-school workshops, which are held once a year, take up specific aspects of the KPM Approach to Children in an interactive dialogue between teachers and parents who work together for the benefit of the children. All kinds of issues are discussed at these workshops. Sometimes the workshops are focused on how the school and the parents can give the right kind of attention to the children. Parents are encouraged to express their questions and any concerns they have about the school or the child's development.
Parent-School Conferences — Sometimes it is necessary for parents and teachers to meet to discuss ways in which they can work together to help the child. Parents may request a parent-school conference at any time. The school may also ask the parents to attend a parent-school conference when the need arises. There are also annual parent-school conferences to which all parents are invited. Sometimes, the school may request a conference when a special effort among the parents and teachers is needed to alter certain behaviour. Then the parents may be requested to participate in a specific way, as the following example shows: A student in the first standard, Michael, age six, was neglected at home. His mother watched television constantly and gave him very little attention. At school, Michael was always disturbing the other children's play. He was active, energetic, and often violent in his behaviour. The other children were becoming afraid of him. The school tried to speak to his parents about the problem, but with little success. Finally, when Michael was having a detrimental effect on too many other children, the school requested that Michael leave the school. The parents were willing to do anything to keep him in the school, so it was agreed that if Michael were to continue, both parents needed to come to the school on a weekly basis for in-depth conferences with Michael's teachers. The parents agreed, and this also made Michael happy, because he felt he was getting some attention from his parents. The teachers asked the mother to approach her child in a different way. They asked her to feed Michael, bathe him, and put him on her lap as if he were an infant. She was surprised and doubtful if this was needed at his age. But she complied and after a few weeks, one day Michael hugged her and told her he loved her, which she happily reported to the teachers. This was a turning point. The mother felt encouraged to continue following the advice of the school, and after some months of conferences, the child's behaviour had completely changed and the conferences could be discontinued.
Telephone Calls – Parents are welcome and encouraged to contact the school at any time to discuss the child's personal, social and acadedmic development. This contact is actively encouraged. A Parent Coordinator and Campus Head on each campus take telephone calls, which provide an opportunity for parents and the school to maintain a close working relationship throughout the year.
Parent Handbook — The school issues a Parent Handbook to each parent. The Parent Handbook sets out ways in which the school and parents can cooperate together for the best interests of the children in the school, and provides details of how each campus operates. Fundamental guidelines that apply to all parents, and campus-specific guidelines for parents of children in each campus are written down for the parents. The cooperation of the parents in supporting the KPM Approach to Children as practiced in the school and in providing a positive home environment is crucial in helping the child's development. The parents are the most important people for the child, and their support of the Parent Handbook surely makes a difference for the child.

The Parent Handbook sets out general advice for the parents such as the following:

Your child is a unique individual who needs to be regarded as such, especially by his or her parents and teachers.
Listening to your child's point of view will encourage his or her individuality.
Your child need not be compared with other children.
Be patient with your child's own way of thinking; it will not be exactly like yours.
Save some time every day or several times a week that your child knows is for him or her only. If you have several children, you need to do this for each one. This can take the place of excess television time.
Have a conversation that is enjoyable and has no expectations involved and no cross-questioning.
Read to your child, without any pressure, something that he or she loves; your child will then regard books as a valuable part of life-long learning.
Boundaries can be formed without imposition or saying “no,” through the trust and confidence that develops between adult and child.
Do not speak ill of others in front of your child since this can create insecurity in the child and a habit to speak ill of others.
Do not argue in front of your child since this can create a deep sense of insecurity in the child. Please refer to the Parent Handbook for more detailed information on how the parents and school work together for the benefit of the children. Click here to download a copy of the Parent Handbook.