The Elephant in the Playroom by Denise Brody is a compilation of essays written by parents of children with disabilities. Brody, a magazine editor and a parent of a child with sensory integration dysfunction, looks to find community and healing through the shared experiences of like parents. I chose to respond to this reading journal entry for very much the same reasons Amber Hemp picked this book and why Brody wrote it. I feel a need to hear from the perspective of a parent who’s child struggles with disabilities. Amber focuses her description of the book on ways it benefits educators. She offers three strong reasons for educators to read this book. The first is that teachers can at times question a parents decision regarding a child with
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A poorly worded email or a student’s emotionally hurt account of a home/school day’s event can lead to misunderstanding. It appears to be a kind of overlapping jurisdiction between teachers and parents that can become burdensome rather than advantageous. And yet I have also seen teachers make excellent use of continued contact with families to the benefit of the student.
Second, what is often found in the sharing of these experiences at home are strategies for care that could also translate to the classroom. Parents offer unique sources of so-called trialled interventions that could also potentially succeed in the classroom. Here Amber strikes on something of real value. A teacher may apply many formal assessments to gauge a student’s academic ability; yet when it comes to motivating a student - a parents insights can be invaluable. I look forward to raising this possibility with the teachers around me where I intern. I believe continuity of care between home and school greatly benefits a student. Thirdly, Amber Hemp draws our attention to the benefit of inviting connections between home and classroom. These types of bridges have multiple advantages for fluidity of service over the course of a student’s education. I have seen this already
A poorly worded email or a student’s emotionally hurt account of a home/school day’s event can lead to misunderstanding. It appears to be a kind of overlapping jurisdiction between teachers and parents that can become burdensome rather than advantageous. And yet I have also seen teachers make excellent use of continued contact with families to the benefit of the student.
Second, what is often found in the sharing of these experiences at home are strategies for care that could also translate to the classroom. Parents offer unique sources of so-called trialled interventions that could also potentially succeed in the classroom. Here Amber strikes on something of real value. A teacher may apply many formal assessments to gauge a student’s academic ability; yet when it comes to motivating a student - a parents insights can be invaluable. I look forward to raising this possibility with the teachers around me where I intern. I believe continuity of care between home and school greatly benefits a student. Thirdly, Amber Hemp draws our attention to the benefit of inviting connections between home and classroom. These types of bridges have multiple advantages for fluidity of service over the course of a student’s education. I have seen this already