Building on our “Whole Child” philosophy, CAC firmly believes that education and learning extend way beyond the classroom walls. A child’s growth and development is not on pause when they leave the classroom, which is why the school is deeply committed to providing the necessary support to parents, recognizing the huge task they have in the overall development of the child. 

For this reason, CAC is thrilled that Carey Harris, elementary school counselor and guidance teacher, has been facilitating Parenting Together with Positive Discipline courses, which are  open to all of our CAC community.  Carey is a certified Positive Discipline educator, with 20 years of experience working with parents, teachers and children. She has given numerous parenting workshops in Chile and Paraguay (where she previously lived) and here at CAC in Egypt where she now resides.  The course saw a huge demand within the CAC community. 

Having been a member of this school for 8 years, Carey has been an active community member and positive parenting advocate since she joined us. It was during the Covid-19 pandemic, and with the immense pressure on families around the world,  that Carey saw the need to launch this course again. Being a mother of three, she has first-hand experience of how beautiful and challenging parenting can be. 

The course examines the reasons that children might be misbehaving, and explores a variety of kind, yet firm ways in which parents should be responding. “It is not uncommon for people to think that behavior is binary, that it is either good or bad, but it is not. Behavior is driven by our perceptions of belonging and significance. A misbehaving child is a discouraged child. The goal of Positive Discipline is to help children develop positive perceptions about themselves, others and the world around them so they can be healthy, contributing members of the community,” Carey explains.  

“The positive discipline philosophy is based on mutual respect and trust. There is a lot of trust building within the course and  parents form a village that work together to raise responsible, happy, confident children,” elaborates Carey. The course is especially helpful for new parents who feel alone or disconnected from the community. “We may be from different cultures but we all have the same goals for our children, and parenting is always from the heart,” she adds. 

The course, has managed to provide common ground for the different parents within our community who have come from different countries and backgrounds, all looking to provide the best growth and development environment for their children. It consists of 8 sessions that include a lot of story sharing, and useful parenting tools and positive discipline exercises. 

A short survey with the parents who have registered for the course showed that they were very happy with the outcome. Some have already been asking for more courses with the same objectives to be provided. “I loved this course and am so very proud to be a part of a school community that provides such important and valuable information. The benefit of strengthening this home-school partnership is an invaluable component to creating and sustaining an exceptional educational environment,” was what one parent had to say when asked for her feedback. 

Click on this link to visit Carey's blog and learn more about the course: https://parentingtogether.edublogs.org