Resolving conflicts between parents and co-op community

Learn about: Resolving conflicts between parents and co-op community from Tom Hobson,...
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Resolving conflicts between parents and co-op community

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Anytime individuals come together there is an opportunity for conflict. School is no different. Obviously, there is a lot of conflict with the children, but also a lot of conflict between our parents in the community because they are so invested and they have their opinions, and they are equal owners in this school. Most of the time when there is conflict, we expect it to happen without involving the school, but sometimes it becomes something where one group of parents feel one way about something and there is another group that feels the other way. We have monthly parent meetings where all of the parents are expected to be at the meeting. We put together the agenda. Anybody can put anything on the agenda that they want to and we put those conflicts on the agenda and we talk about it. That's how we deal with it. Ultimately, when we need to, it comes down to a vote. We raise our hands and people put themselves on the record saying, yay or nay, on different topics. The conflicts often come up in terms of policies. Sometimes in the classroom, but mostly it has to do with the organization and the structure of the school.

Learn about: Resolving conflicts between parents and co-op community from Tom Hobson,...

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Tom Hobson

Co-Op Preschool Teacher

Tom is a preschool teacher, blogger, artist, and author. For the past 10 years, he’s worked for the Woodland Park Cooperative preschools, teaching two to five year olds in Seattle, Washington where he lives with his wife and daughter. His award-winning blog, “Teacher Tom,” has earned him an international following as a leading proponent of a progressive, play-based curriculum and the cooperative model of early childhood education, as well as a fierce advocate for public policies that support the whole child and the teaching of democratic values to even our youngest citizens. His blog, like his classroom, is a place of exploration of the physical, social, political, emotional, and even spiritual world. It’s a place of experimentation, where the adults learn every bit as much as the children.

Tom is the author of A Parent’s Guide To Seattle, a regular speaker on early childhood education, a board member of the Fremont Arts Council, and a founding member of the Superhuggers performance art ensemble.

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