Community Involvement

Assumptions about Parents

• All parents want to do what is best for their children
• All people konw what they want
• All parents want to be proud of their children
• All people have the potential to learn and change
• Everyone is responsible for their actions and choices
• Educators are there to serve the child, and through extension, the parents.
• Parents love hearing positive things their children do.
• Parents become protective when they are always told negative things about their children

Assumptions in Involving Communities in Schools

• We must work from the strengths of our community
• All people & communities have strengths that can be used to improve the educational system
• The school system must respect these strengths and use them in the directions in which the community wants to apply them
• First Nations parents may be involved in different ways than schools are used to
• First Nations parents often "wait to see" if the school actually cares for their children before they become involved.

Motivation

• Everyone wants to do what is right
• Everyone wants to find better ways of doing things
• Everyone wants to achieve things of which they can be proud
• Everyone wants to belong to a group that achieves the extraordinary
• Everyone wants to earn respect and recognition for what one is and for what one achieves

{The Effective Executive. Dartnell}