Understandings and expectations of care in an elementary school

Research has shown clear benefits to students when they believe teachers care about them. Moreover, as students get older, fewer of them believe their teachers care, and fewer of their parents believe teachers care about their children. Semi-structured interviews were used in this qualitative study to examine students’, teachers’, and parents’ beliefs about care in one school in south-western British Columbia. More specifically, teacher-student and parent-teacher relationships were examined. Findings indicated that students’, parents’, and teachers’ current beliefs related to care were largely shaped by their past experiences of care in school. Parents who attended schools in other areas of the world tended to emphasize different attributes of care, than parents who attended schools in British Columbia. The importance of uncovering our own beliefs, getting to know students as individuals and having open dialogue with parents was emphasized.