In bringing up self advocacy, our D6's teacher was more about interaction with other students and less about with adults. He mostly went over that they need to be responsible for doing thier own homework, that they need to remember their own backpack. They are responsible for the work in their cubbies at school. In advocay he was tlking about if they do have an issue, with him, or another student, that they bring it up to him. He wanted them to do things with less parental invlolvment. He did not say that the parents cannot contact him, just that if we could, try and encourage our children to come to him. They do share 7 hrs a day together. The book also encourged some of this kind of behavior. Some of the examples she used from her practice show that over involved parents can create issues. That many a parent place their child above all else, and make them their entre focus. One telling thing was a school that had a student pass away, the school arranged for counslers for the students, and everyone was working to make sure that the children where ok. What they din't do was make sure that the family that had the death was taken care of, that the siblings had help from other students, that the students and their familys help out. To me it showed how child centric we can be. Note: I am making no statements about anyone on this board, just a portion of our socity.
