Natalie Schwartz says, "Ideally, your students' parents are your allies in helping children learn, grow, and thrive." Isn't that the truth?

In the summer when we are preparing for our students, we envision our ideal room filled with children whose parents are an integral part of the educational team. It doesn't take long for us to realize that children and parents bring vastly differing experiences, expectations and opinions to school with them. This handy how-to guide helped us understand the different types of parents, like The Distressed Parent, The Defensive Parent, and The Unsupportive Parent.

In all, the article addresses 10 different parent types and gives strategies for understanding and working with them. An eleventh category would represent many of us....The Teacher Parent. Ah yes...you fill in the rest.

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3753165