Together - CELEBRATING OUR 100th KIDS TALK™ NEWSLETTER

See our Special 100th Column Special Offer following this week's column.

In my chiropractor's examining room, there is a poster of two hands reaching for a handshake with the title ''Together.'' The poster says:

OUR JOB
See you as an individual
Respect your privacy and your time
Provide a comfortable office
Explain procedures
Monitor and report progress
Show you ways to get and stay well
Offer state-of-the-art chiropractic
Refer to specialists if needed
Charge a fair fee for our services
Honor individual health goals

YOUR JOB
Want better health
Get involved
Keep appointments
Follow advice
Ask questions
Seek answers
Expect results
Stay optimistic
Pay your bill
Tell others

For me this poster clearly communicates the roles of doctor and patient. Upon further reflection, I see that this message is valid for any professional relationship or organization. An organization, as Stephen Covey defines it, is any group of two or more people working for a common goal.

Excited about how this poster states clear roles and expectations, I revised it to reflect the relationships between school and home, or teacher and parents.

OUR JOB
See you and your child as individuals
Respect your privacy and your time
Provide comfortable facilities
Explain procedures
Monitor and report your child's progress
Show you ways to aid your child's development
Offer state-of-the-art education
Refer to specialists if needed
Charge a fair fee for our services
Honor individual educational needs

YOUR JOB
Want a better school community for all
Get involved
Be on time
Follow advice
Ask questions
Seek answers
Expect results
Stay optimistic
Pay your tuition and/or taxes
Tell others

Having played many roles in education—student, teacher, parent, school administrator, principal, school owner, tuition check writer and taxpayer—I realize that when I missed one of the jobs on this list, problems followed. When someone didn't do his orh her part within the organization, trust and satisfaction in the relationship was damaged or destroyed.

In the roles we play in our educational organizations, as either service providers or consumers, let's encourage the development of clear and concise expectations for the tasks that need to be addressed to assure our group's success.

Our Job. Your Job. It's easy to look at these lists and for everyone to know if expectations are being met. When there are rough spots in a relationship (remember, if we're human there will be problems), each party can look at the lists to help define the problem, discern contributing factors to the situation and create possible solutions.

Roles and expectations clearly stated from the beginning can help us make our organizations successful for all our students, our families, our school staff and our communities.

A successful doctor needs cooperative patients. Patients need an understanding doctor. Successful schools need collaborative families. Families need effective schools. Together, we can do it.

Next week: Removing Obstacles to Development

SPECIAL 100th Column OFFER

For our next 100 customers: Buy the four-volume Shining Light Reading Series at our regular low price of $34.99 plus shipping, and Maren will send you send you Volume One, Learning Letter Sounds, a $15.99 value, for FREE. Volume One makes a great gift, and it's yours for free when you purchase the Four-Volume Shining Light Reading Series DVD set. Click here to buy now.

Kids Talk™ is a column dealing with early childhood development issues written by Maren Stark Schmidt. Mrs. Schmidt founded a Montessori school and holds a Masters of Education from Loyola College in Maryland.

She has over 25 years experience working with young children and holds teaching credentials from the Association Montessori Internationale. She is also Creative Director for a video-based reading series for children ages three to six, The Shining Light Reading Series. Contact her via e-mail at maren@shininglightreading.com.

Complete Collection of the Shining Light Reading Series Now Available on DVD
Visit www.shininglightreading.com for more information.

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