Discussion: Challenges Working with Parents * Module 5 Page 7 (3/9)

6/17/2016

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Example: One of the challenges is if you are seeing red flags or things that could be concerning, things that may make the family or child uncomfortable. One of the best things is finding common ground and being open to new ideas about how to foster the growth of the child.

1) Share one of the most challenging parts of working with families, and one of the best parts.

72 Comments

Katie Funk

8/10/2018 12:40:14 pm

I feel that one of the most challenging parts of working with families can be having to communicate difficult news about their child and problems he or she may be having. One of the best parts about working with families is being able to learn from them about different approaches and watch their child grow and develop.

desarae

8/19/2018 11:15:41 pm

i think your right it can be challenging talking to parents about their children being behind in some subjects or if their child is acting out. but it is a joy working together with the parents and delivering good news and telling them how much their child is progressing.

Kailey

8/20/2018 11:11:18 am

I agree with this comment! I also believe that it is harder for me to communicate the 'bad days' with parents that I'm not as close to, or not as familiar with. I'm not sure how to present the topic to the parent until I learn the boundaries. Which is why parent involvement and communication are so important.

Cassandra Warren

8/10/2018 02:24:35 pm

Most challenging - the chances for miscommunication between the parents and the staff is tricky and that is why it is important to communicate with the parents daily at drop off or pick up about their child's day or progress so things do not get mixed up.
Best part - forming the parent/teacher relationship to a build a strong trust to where the communication feels more like friends talking feeling comfortable rather than feeling like a forced talk.

Tavid Veloria

8/10/2018 04:12:54 pm

I think that one of the hardest parts about working with parents is that they expect that their child is getting all of your attention for the entire day. For example there is a parent at my work that got really upset because we couldn't find their child's pacifier at pick up. But what they don't understand is that we are not only taking care of their child, but sometimes 10 children at once and if a pacifier get's misplaced it's truly because there is always so much going on at once. But on a more positive note I think that the best part about working with families is that we get to come along for the journey of their child's development. We get to see and share developmental milestones with each other and it's truly exciting to see their children progress.

Madeline Olson

8/10/2018 06:30:48 pm

A challenging part of the family/teacher relationship is sharing information about a student's negative behavior. I hope that the families understand that it comes from a place of care and concern, but it is never easy to deliver what could be viewed as bad news. One of the best parts of getting to know families is understanding the cultural context that the students come from and the ways that they support their children at home.

Allyson Gledhill

8/11/2018 02:07:44 pm

I think that one of the challenges of a relationship with parents is an inability to hear one another, whether that is on the part of the parent or the teacher. Practicing effective communication is important for all parties.
I thoroughly enjoy getting to know the culture of each child's family. Especially when a new baby is introduced into the family, preschoolers may feel so important when a new sibling is added, and there is a shift in personality. It's interesting and exciting to watch.

Carlee Rudolph

8/11/2018 05:23:05 pm

One of the most challenging parts of working with families is when I have to tell them their child has a red flag or has had bad behavior. Any negative thing I have to tell families is hard.
One of the best parts of working with families is when I get to tell them about an accomplishment their child reached. When children have been working toward a goal and they finally reach that goal it is a very proud moment for everyone involved with that child.

Brooke

8/11/2018 09:39:46 pm

A challenging part about working with families is sometimes they don't listen to suggestions given to help their child's educational growth, or improve their social interactions with other students. Some families choose to do things their way or no way. A positive part about working with families is when I can see how happy they are when their kid(s) improve in certain skills, or can tell that they are getting better at some subjects. Another awesome thing is seeing the families grow as the children get older.

Christa Risdon

8/11/2018 10:28:39 pm

One of the best things about working with families is the ability to get insight to the child's home life and collaborate with parents on learning how to best handle situations that arise. One of the hardest parts of working with families is the disagreement that can sometimes arise when trying to discuss red flags. Some parents struggle with the idea that there may be developmental red flags, but when presented in a positive encouraging manner it can be handled in the best way possible.

Siena Mayhak

8/12/2018 04:23:03 pm

One of the most challenging parts of working with families is when they do not believe the child may be struggling in ways that you have witnessed them struggling. One of the best parts is when parents put their trust in you to implement solutions that they use at home because ultimately they know their child best.

John Robinson

8/13/2018 11:42:45 am

I agree that it is difficult working with families that think their child is golden and doesn't struggle when in all reality they do.

Justine Fromherz link

8/12/2018 06:33:36 pm

one of the most difficult things for me is navigating how to work with households that are seprated. How to juggle the disconnect between the mother and father. Its difficult finding common ground between parents who "hate" each other and talking to them about their child and trying to help their child in an area that is of concern. One parent sometimes cares more than the other and it makes it difficult to be in the middle of two divided households. Ultimately, the child is suffering because the parents are focused on their hatred rather than the care of their child
the best part is when a parent is activily engaged in their childs learning and development. when they take the time to talk to me at the end of the day about what we can do to make their child love learning and or keeping them engaged. Creating a bond with the parents to where they feel comfortable in my knowledge and in me as an educator. Recently, a parent even invited me to their wedding because their son is so comfortable around me and loves me so much that they feel like i am a part of their family. its amazing,

Lesley

8/12/2018 11:00:33 pm

One of the hardest things is letting the parents know about bad behavior, but one of the best things is letting them know about a success a child had, a good thing they did, or something new they learned.

Yesenia Armas

8/13/2018 09:20:15 am

A challenging part would be having to discuss with a parent about their child being disruptive or showing agression in class and the parent disregarding their actions.
The best part is discussing with the parent their childs accomplishments and their growth in the classroom.

Tetiana Svyrydovska

8/13/2018 10:21:13 am

I think one of the hardest parts of working with families is having to tell the parents about delays that the child may have later. The best part is being able to watch the child grow before your eyes and being able to discuss those growths with the family.

Huong Nguyen T

8/13/2018 10:23:28 am

I agree, when we working with the family that the children with negative behavior is very difficult , need learning the video Maggie is a teacher in a child care ,and Latesha is a mother of a boy ,have a conversation highlights making shared decisions.

Marziyeh Aliyari

8/13/2018 10:28:30 am

One of the most challenging part when you have difficult news about their child problem,
One of the best part when families being able to learn from them and watch their child grow and develop.

lissette link

8/13/2018 10:28:44 am

I totally agree , it is very difficult to talk about children bad behavior.And some cases there are parents do not want to recognize the real problems with their children.

Autumn Spry

8/13/2018 10:32:08 am

One of the most challenging parts of working with families is having to tell them bad news. Whether it be their child got hurt, or their child was behaving badly that day. The best part of working with families, is sharing all the good times their child has, and discussing how much the child Is blossoming into a wonderful child.

Maria Santaa

8/13/2018 10:32:55 am

One of the best parts of working with families is that you are able to communicate with them about the children so that you can better understand the child's behavior and needs. One challenging part of working with families is that there may be some difficulty in discussing concerns regarding the child (such as behavior) and the family is not open to hearing/discussing these things.

Kwangyeon Kim

8/13/2018 10:36:37 am

- One of the most challenging things is sharing with the parents about child's delays and bad behaviors in the class or how their child's day was.

- One of the best part is communication with parents and caregivers that when they get to share the child's growth and how they are doing well.

Amim Akhtar

8/13/2018 10:36:55 am

I think the hardest thing to do is to talk to a family about the child negative behavior because some time the family take it personally instead of being thanks full,and some time the family does not give the right information and hide which is causing disturbance to the child.The one best part is communication with a family to get a better picture and make strategies for further goals and share success of the child with a family.

John Robinson

8/13/2018 11:41:11 am

One of the hardest parts of working with families is having to tell the parents about significant delay in progress in their child. I feel bad behavior is easier because it is just something that happened throughout the day but delays in the progression of their child is difficult. The best part is being able to watch the child grow before your eyes. watching them start from Tods and before you know it they are in pre-k

Torri Betts

8/13/2018 12:26:22 pm

One of the most challenging parts of working with families is when you know, because of circumstances at home, that a child is basically being neglected and no matter how much you communicate positives or negatives, you know you're basically on your own to instill positive changes and provide a nurturing environment for the child. One of the best things is when, in the situation above, you see growth and positive changes in the child that you are able to communicate with the family. Whether they receive it or not, you know the child is thriving and will continue to do and be better when poured into.

Kelsey Enstrom

8/13/2018 12:42:33 pm

one of the most challenging things about working with families is when you have to tell them something negative about their child, about a misbehavior or a disruption to class. The best part about working with families is when you get to know them personally and it helps you get to know the child better

Shravani Ratna

8/13/2018 02:35:35 pm

The challenging part of working with a family is when they are not receptive to your suggestions or in denial that there is a problem. One of the best part is communication with parents and caregivers that when they get to share the child's growth and how they are doing well.

Robin Neumann

8/13/2018 04:34:35 pm

I've found the most challenging part is having to discuss a child's dangerous behaviors with their parents. The parents sometimes get very defensive, or they feel helpless to know how to help the child improve their behaviors. The best part is getting to bond with these wonderful children, and when the parents appreciate all of your hard work and attention with their child.

Lyric

8/13/2018 09:24:58 pm

The hardest part in my opinion is sharing with families when their child had an off day, when the child make negative decisions. The best part is getting to know the child from a different perspective and see how maybe they act at home or in different activities.

Shelley Owen

8/14/2018 07:48:02 am

The hardest challenge is communicating negative feedback about their child, as well as , the parent not being receptive to solutions.
The best part has to be getting to know the child and sharing with the parents the many accomplishments their child made throughout the day.

Myriah

8/14/2018 12:10:19 pm

Us as teachers can only do so much. If the parent does not want to help with the solution then we have to go back to the drawing board and come up with apporiate action.

Chris McClain

8/14/2018 09:42:44 am

A challenging part about working with families is explaining the difficulties their child is facing because it can be sensitive information, but one of the plusses is building rapport with the families.

Myriah

8/14/2018 12:08:17 pm

One of my most hardeast experiences would be working with an autistic child. He's such a beautiful and bright child who has his moments. Where he will hit staff or pyher childern. He is very destructive sometimes. The parent of the other child want us to separate their children from him. It's really hard because we can not always do so. One of my most pleasant experience with families is telling them how much their child is shining and how much growing they have done.

Rebekah Fretwell

8/14/2018 12:27:58 pm

One of the most challenging parts of working with families is when they don't want to communicate or are in too much of a hurry to talk. One of the best parts of working with families is forming a relationship with them and appreciating each other.

Deborah Byron

8/15/2018 11:18:37 am

christopher diem

8/15/2018 12:41:03 pm

one of the hardest thing with communicating with parents is expressing behavior that is unacceptable and needs to be managed. it is important to keep daily conversations to help build a trusting relationship with the parents.

one of the best things about communication with parents is the relationship you build with entire families. families will accept and appreciate you which is a nice feeling

Destiny

8/20/2018 01:54:30 pm

There have been a few times where i had to discuss and incident or bad behavior with a childs parent. It is very awkward for me when i don't really know what to say. i am getting too know my families more so i am hoping that the awkward feeling will be short lived and i will be able to create a bond and a good connection with my families.

Courtney

8/15/2018 12:50:16 pm

It definitely depends on the parents. One of the hardest things can be communicating inappropriate/dangerous behavior with parents. Which is why it is very important to build that trusting relationship. One of the best things is when I get to help a parent make a break through with difficult and dangerous behavior.

Sierra Backes

8/15/2018 04:34:09 pm

One challenging part of working with families is that they may be tired at the end of a long day and the last thing they want to hear is that their child was disrespectful as it can be hard to have a good conversation if they do not listen. The best thing would be that you are talking with someone who has most likely known the child you are working with so that can be a key part in seeing progress.

Emily Mitchell

8/15/2018 05:12:23 pm

One of the most challenging parts about working with families is when they don't follow through at home it could be on potty training or just spending more time with there children. I would ask them if they were keeping it up at home but you could tell its wasn't happening as often as it should be because the child would still act out.

One of the best parts about working with families is being able to have that close relationship with them to know that they can trust me to take care of there child. To see the smiles on the child and families face makes me happy

Alexandra De La Hoz

8/15/2018 07:42:28 pm

One of the most challenging as well as the best parts of working with families in the childcare setting is communication. Communication can be challenging because parents are often most defensive when it comes to their children so if they are having difficulties or acting out and you're trying to communicate that it can be difficult and overwhelming. Communication is one of the best parts because when it goes well you are able to build great bonds that become extensions of your family and you create a great environment for the child to thrive in with all adults on the same page.

Tahereh Karimi

8/15/2018 10:50:42 pm

One challenge is sometimes finding the time with parent to have meeting about their child. One best part is knowing parents appropriate what we do and show it with kind words.

Marie

8/16/2018 12:11:29 am

The most challenging for myself was communication. Some parents will understand and some will not understand when it comes to the situation for their child.

Maddson

8/16/2018 07:26:43 am

A hard part about working with families is letting them know when their child is struggling or I see any red flags. I love the personal connections and friendships you can create as well

KAG

8/16/2018 12:11:42 pm

The hardest part is that the parents are often dropping off the child before I am at work and picking them up after I have left for the day, therefore I have little to no communication with them other than written. The best part is being with the children all day.

Derek Ormiston

8/16/2018 01:07:07 pm

A Challenging part of working with families is that sometimes, the family doesn't recognize issues that are there. But the rewarding side is when you see a family come together to become a better family unit.

SABZPARI GHIAS

8/16/2018 09:23:57 pm

1) Share one of the most challenging parts of working with families, and one of the best parts.

In my opinion, one of the most difficult challenging parts of working with families is sharing a negative experience of their child with the parent. A parent would never want to hear a negative comment about their kid's behavior. It might be hard when parents would not want to communicate and listen to a teacher.

The best part is sharing child's accomplishments with families. They feel proud of themselves.

Morgan Vandal

8/17/2018 02:36:47 pm

One of the most challenging things would be having to communicate bad behavior or red flags you have noticed, because you never know how the parent will react to what you are saying. One of the best would be, being able to share positive things with the parents and seeing how excited they get about what you are telling them.

courtney charlton

8/17/2018 04:28:36 pm

I feel that one of the most challenging parts of working with families can be having to communicate difficult news about their child and problems he or she may be having. and that sometimes the way the child acts at home is no where near how they act at school and parents have a hard time realizing that. One of the best parts about working with families is being able to learn from them about different approaches and watch their child grow and develop.

katie

8/17/2018 07:15:30 pm

one of the most challenging things is when a parent doesn't believe that their child did something wrong or is struggling with something. the most rewarding is getting to watch and share the childs growth.

Yunhong Chen

8/17/2018 09:26:36 pm

Creanna Read

8/18/2018 11:44:53 am

One of the hardest parts is when parents aren’t willing to accept when you do report the red flags of their child because they want to feel like their child is developing as normally as any other child. The best part is when the parent is willing to talk, list and discuss red flags, successes and are willing to be involved in the child’s developement.

Specialty

8/18/2018 06:23:33 pm

Challenging is when you get close with the families and they start to bring you into their family drama its hard to separate business from friendship but the good thing about this is you can see the children grow and become young men and women and it because of all your hard work and time that got them their.

Christi Armstrong

8/18/2018 08:14:50 pm

The hardest part is when the child is having an outburst and there doesn't seem to be any calming them down. The bet part is when you are able to hug them and let them know that they are loved.

moriah borba

8/18/2018 09:39:32 pm

The hardest part is when they try to involve you in the family drama because you are so close, and the best part that you know you are making a difference in their lives

Rache D.

8/18/2018 10:54:01 pm

One of the hardest things to do is mention to a parent or talk to them about some red flags you've noticed. Some parents are in denial and think nothing is wrong. One of the best things is where the communication is flowing and it feels like theyre friends or family not just kids you're watching and their parents..

Samantha Burleigh

8/19/2018 08:26:01 am

I feel that one of the hardest things is that a parent only cares about what their child is doing for the most part. So from their perspective we might not be "paying enough attention" to their child but they might not realize that we are responsible for every child that is left with us. So we should strive to make them feel like their child is important to us and that we personally work for their growth and well-being.

One of the best parts of working with families is how much help they can actually be. Involved parents can be such a blessing because they can partner with us to make their child be the best they can be, they will support us in our decisions and even volunteer in the class or for field trips to make things a bit easier.

Betsy Alvarez de Spinosa

8/19/2018 10:00:54 am

382/5000
I think the most difficult part of dealing with the family is when you have to report a bad behavior or an accident happened with another child.
The best part of dealing with the family is when we have been working on something specific and the child achieves the planned goal. You can appreciate the joy in the face of the family and it feels good to be part of that process.

Krista

8/19/2018 11:06:30 am

One of the challenges is communicating with families that speak a different language than yourself. One of the best parts is being able to communicate positive feedback about a childs development to the families.

Jessica

8/19/2018 11:39:37 am

The hardest part about working with families is when you have to discuss a disciplinary issue. The best part is when you get to gush about how great their kid is, because you get to do that all the time with every kid, even the "trouble makers"

Carly Johnson

8/19/2018 11:49:35 am

Challenging - disagreements among discipline and child behavior.
Best part - forming relationships with parents, and becoming close with the child's family.

Kathrine

8/19/2018 04:25:07 pm

One of the most challenging parts I have of working with families (particularly affluent ones) is the lack of cohesion between school and home in terms of discipline. I sometimes feel on Mondays that the work I put in with their child the week before has been erased over the weekend. While I know this isn't exactly the case, it can hold a heavy weight on my mind.

One of the best parts of working with families is seeing the development of their child over a period of time.

Lois Yant

8/19/2018 07:41:01 pm

The most challenging part of working with families are bringing up problems the parent never seems to address at home with the child. The best part is when you make a suggestion that they hadn't thought of to make things easier.

Erika

8/19/2018 09:13:07 pm

One of the most challenging is when the parents think and want the child to do things that they aren't ready for. The best thing is when we can communicate about the developments the child is making at home and at daycare that show the building of new milestones.

SAHBA BAHIZAD

8/19/2018 10:22:08 pm

One of the challenging parts working with parents is when for few days the kid is not coming to daycare and is with parents or grandparents their schedule is different from daycare like when they sleep or eat and it is very hard to get them to adjust to the daycare schedules again after they are back.
One of the great things working with parents is sharing pictures and videos of their kids while they are at daycare and they will have the opportunity to observe the growth of their kids.

Monica Sasse

8/20/2018 11:14:26 am

One of the difficulties of working with families is when there is a culcher/ language difference it makes it hard to communicate. But one of the greater joys of working with families is sharing in the growth of the child

Kaeli

8/20/2018 11:25:15 am

One of the hardest things about working with families is the unrealistic expectations some parents put on teachers. For example they don't know what it's like to work in a classroom of 18+ students and are unable to recognize that i cannot devote all of my undivided attention to their child every day. I think the best thing that comes out of parent/teacher relationships are the meaningful and lifelong friends you can make.

Enedina Martinez

8/20/2018 01:31:58 pm

One of the most challenging parts about working with families is that when you give a parent negative feed back about there child or a red flag about there child they don't like to hear what your saying and try to change the subject. the parent is usually in denial.
one of the best parts about working with families is that you get to know the family more

Destiny

8/20/2018 01:51:35 pm

one of the most challenging things that i have had with my families is communication. Some times the parents and in and out so quick especially if their child has a rough time with drop offs. There isn't much time to chat or ask question.

The best part with working with families would be, seeing the growth. The excited feeling that the parent and myself as a teacher feels when the child is finally using the potty more. being able to share that accomplishment together is really rewarding for me. Having that too look forward too or too just have that mutual goal. Feels really great.

Lacy Thompson

8/20/2018 02:45:46 pm

I think the most challenging thing is discussing with parents about their child's delays or negative behavior. Some families or parents take it personally, which can negatively affect your relationship with the family.

One of the best things is watching children develop and grow, learning new things and making new friends.

Emily Mathers

8/20/2018 09:15:41 pm

It is challenging to tell parents issues when they are in a hurry to drop off and pick up . If you don't get the one on one time to connect.

The best is when the child overcomes a challenge they have had.

Veronica brooker

8/20/2018 09:29:28 pm

One of the most challenging things is approaching the parent in the correct way so you don’t trigger strong emotions like anger,fear,concern,ect. To be throw around

The best part is being able to work together to find a way that works on both sides and later being able to discuss the growth and accomplishments of the child

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Discussion: Challenges Working with Parents * Module 5 Page 7 (3/9)

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