Parents who do see themselves as needed participants feel strongly that they must provide their children with a positive view of their history, values, and culture. Often it may sound as if these parents are advocating adversarial positions, but they are simply pleading for inclusion. Sometimes teachers may see such talk as challenging their positions as professional decision makers. Yet, it is vitally important that we expand the dialogue to include parent knowledge about school settings, even when that knowledge conflicts with our own. Parents affirm the importance of establishing trust.
Fear is a recurrent theme among many parents.
They have a fear of appearing foolish or being misunderstood, and they also have a fear about their childrens' academic standing. Our assumptions about the home environments of our students can either build or sever links between home and school. For example, an assumption that these kids don't live in good environments can destroy the very network we are trying to build and strengthen. We must have as complete an understanding as possible of the rich social interactions that may already occur there. Teachers must learn to assess the knowledge in the community.