WHY DO PARENT / PROFESSIONAL PARTNERSHIPS TAKE SO MUCH WORK?
This article reminds us that parents have equal status as part of the collaborative planning team for their children and must work on learning negotiation skills to resolve conflict. What is a partnership? It is hard to work toward something you can’t define. The dictionary defines a partnership as “a relationship between two people in which each has equal status and a certain independence, but also has obligations to the other.” There are some interesting words and concepts in this definition. The first and most often discussed concept in this definition is “equal.” Partners are supposed to be equal. It does not mean they have equal knowledge in all areas. It does not mean they have an equal amount of education. It means that each has equal status. We must: 1. Think of ourselves as equal and believe that our knowledge and opinions are valuable; 2. Learn to communicate assertively and express opinions directly while respecting others; 3. Realize that anger over past wrongs keeps us fro
