Abstract:

Using a theoretical framework that integrates socio-cultural theory, postcolonial perspectives, and the ethic of care, the researchers characterize the relationships between some immigrant parents and their children’s teachers, offer reasons for such relationships, and suggest some strategies for improving them. To collect data for this study, several focus group discussions were held with both parents' and teachers' groups, in elementary as well as secondary schools in Toronto, Canada. The analysis shows that immigrant parents and their children’s teachers viewed each other through lens shaped by their colonial legacies, and had different role and communicative expectations from each other based on their prior assumptions and experiences. The conclusion is that both groups need to acknowledge and confront these differences, keeping in mind that mutually respectful relationships between them are crucial for children’s success in schools.

Keywords:

Immigrants, teachers, children.