Rudney Gwen L.

Most parents love their children and work hard to be the best parents they can be, but teachers and parents often find themselves in conflict, resulting in hostility, defensiveness, distrust, and communication breakdowns. Contributing to the problem are media images, public policy, professional commentary, and informal conversations that portray parents as deficient, particularly when the parents may already be marginalized through poverty or language barriers. Working from research in three key areas - parent development and parenting skills, social and historical influences on families, and parent-school relationships - teacher (and parent), Gwen Rudney offers teachers a more useful interpretation of parent beliefs and actions, designed to lead to community, trust-building, collaboration, gratitude, and friendship. Straightforward chapters offer teachers theory, practice, case studies, workshop exercises, and common sense strategies and reminders for working with parents to improve life and learning for all children.

Most parents love their children and work hard to be the best parents they can be, but teachers and parents often find themselves in conflict, resulting in hostility, defensiveness, distrust, and communication breakdowns. Contributing to the problem are media images, public policy, professional commentary, and informal conversations that portray parents as deficient, particularly when the parents may already be marginalized through poverty or language barriers. Working from research in three key areas - parent development and parenting skills, social and historical influences on families, and parent-school relationships - teacher (and parent), Gwen Rudney offers teachers a more useful interpretation of parent beliefs and actions, designed to lead to community, trust-building, collaboration, gratitude, and friendship. Straightforward chapters offer teachers theory, practice, case studies, workshop exercises, and common sense strategies and reminders for working with parents to improve life and learning for all children.

New teacher development, support, and retention all require intensive levels of one-to-one training and mentoring. Mentors may be cooperating teachers whose classrooms host the field placements of student teachers and interns, they may be mentor teachers in induction programmes, and they may be staff trainers/staff developers. This is an action guide for all mentors. It accompanies the trainer and the co-operating teacher every step of the way through the complexities of the school-based mentoring process to ensure maximum success for both mentor and mentee. Clear coverage of rules, roles, relationships, responsibilities, and procedures are accompanied by such hands-on essentials as reproducible forms, reflective exercises and answers to the difficult questions that are sure to arise. Key chapters cover the first week of school; dimensions of teaching; building trusting relationships; school-university supervisory partnerships; observation and feedback; summative evaluation; professional growth and development; and techniques for working with struggling student and novice teachers.

New teacher development, support, and retention all require intensive levels of one-to-one training and mentoring. Mentors may be cooperating teachers whose classrooms host the field placements of student teachers and interns, they may be mentor teachers in induction programmes, and they may be staff trainers/staff developers. This is an action guide for all mentors. It accompanies the trainer and the co-operating teacher every step of the way through the complexities of the school-based mentoring process to ensure maximum success for both mentor and mentee. Clear coverage of rules, roles, relationships, responsibilities, and procedures are accompanied by such hands-on essentials as reproducible forms, reflective exercises and answers to the difficult questions that are sure to arise. Key chapters cover the first week of school; dimensions of teaching; building trusting relationships; school-university supervisory partnerships; observation and feedback; summative evaluation; professional growth and development; and techniques for working with struggling student and novice teachers.