Topic 1 Introduction
- As teachers it is important to recognise that all successful preventive programs start with the parents
- Teachers can be regarded as second parents to the children/ adolescents, they are responsible for their education, but also, quite commonly, serve as role models.
- Children/ adolescents are in today’s world surrounded by challenges in their academic environment, their social environment and often, their families.
- Teachers and parents can and should work together to create an environment in which the majority of the temptations are avoided and the children/ adolescents are equipped to adequately react to those that do arise.
- Parents should know and understand the signs and symptoms of the smoking, alcohol use/ misuse and, especially problematic internet use.
- Parents should be advised on the approach to how to talk about responsible drinking, and how to understand when regular internet use, which is inevitable in the 21st-century lives can progress to problematic use, what to do to avoid it, and most importantly how to integrate these efforts with their daily lives.
- Teachers can implement the programs for the education of parents as a part of parents- teachers’ conferences or could organise workshops, seminars, and discussions.
- When parents and teachers have developed communication, teachers can implement the advice in the regular communication channels.
- Parents should be aware that their actions send stronger messages to the children than their words.
- Parents should receive practical advice and detailed description on steps on how to approach the issue with their children
- If these activities are coordinated and at the same time, teachers also work with children, the effects can be maximised
- In this way, parents can be informed on which advices have been given to children and what was presented to children, so that parents can use this information to approach their children