[senco-forum] Training for all teachers-parental involvement

"Being a parent is very different to being a teacher. Parents need  support
and training that teachers are in the position to provide but only if  they
have an understanding of the emotive issues involved.  'Parental
involvement' does not just mean encouraging parents to be part of  a
school-based programme of education. Furthermore, the damage that  teachers
can do if they don't appreciate the needs of parents is  huge."

The role of parents is often summarily dismissed by schools that fail  to see 
the big picture because all they are concerned with is the child's  
education. The difficulties a child has in  accessing education are usually  the tip of 
the iceberg and caused by underlying conditions that have an impact  on EVERY 
aspect of their lives, of which education is a mere part. 

A parent knows their child since birth, have seen every aspect of  their 
difficulties, struggle with them daily and wipe their tears, tears which  schools 
often never see. Many parents know a lot more about SEN that they  ever 
thought they would need to, in many cases often a lot more than the  teachers their 
children spend their day with...not because they want to be  teachers or be 
difficult or have nothing better to do with their time, but  because it is their 
duty to know what is wrong with their child and how to seek  help form them, 
often FIGHT for help when it is not readily given. He who shouts  loudest is 
heard... we all know that's the way it works. Schools get the  vital insight 
they need to help children from parents, when this  information is not dismissed 
or ignored.

These are the sort of parents schools cringe at because they know they will  
be MADE to act to help their child. Parents do this because it is the RIGHT of 
 their child and every child to access an approprate education, on whatever 
level  that happens to be. They are the voice of their child, their advocate 
because  nobody else will be. They alone have to pick up the pieces when it all 
goes  wrong and the child falls apart...answer the child's questions about why 
nobody  cares enough to help them. Coping with relationships is often tenuous 
for these  children, in and out of school. Low self-esteem can lead to drink, 
drugs,  self-harm,. Teachers do not have to deal with these issues full-time, 
only the  fallout that can filter into school, they do not have to wait up 
all night  worrying where their child is. Many children with SEN end up turning 
to crime,  or even suicide. They are often victims of bullying with all that 
entails.  Family relationships can be strained. These are not educational 
issues. These  are real people with real lives.

When a child leaves school the battle continues in helping them search for  a 
job or cope in  further education (where the struggle for support begins  
again), deal with their difficulties as they manifest in the adult  workplace and 
relationships. And these are the lucky ones that are able to  function well 
enough alone to do these things, many don't and there is a myriad  of other 
problems for those that cannot.

Children are people foremost, members of a family not just members of a  
class. School provides a small percentage of their lives and often the time  spent 
there are years the majority choose to forget, just happy they have got  away 
and it's over...   

I see these  problems every day, receive phonecalls and emails from people 
that have me in  tears; education and mainly the failure of our education system 
is one of  the main causes of their distress and their children's distress 
but it is by no  means the only issue. Teachers usually only see things as they 
affect  education (not all but most) and new teachers especially need to be 
made to  see the big picture.

Best wishes,
Aly

Chair  Auditory Processing Disorder in the UK/APDUK
www.lacewingmultimedia.com/APD.htm 
www.apduk.org