Whanau - Kura relationship

I have found Dealing with Difficult Conversations, a reading, invaluable when dealing with parents and whanau at Hiwinui School.

At the beginning of the year, I had a parent who was adamant that his son had ASD. Initially, I felt intimidated and unable to speak freely that I didn't believe that to be the case. As I built a relationship with him, his son and the with the principal's support put some boundaries in place, I developed the confidence to say that I didn't believe his son had ASD and that he just needed some support in developing his social skills. This was a huge thing for me and my confidence. He took this very positively and thankfully, the evidence of two terms with minimal issues in the playground and minor issues in the classroom was the evidence to support this.