Parents and schools: better together in education

          Nothing is more powerful in a child's development than a genuine alliance between family and school. When parents and educators walk together, combining their strengths, understanding, and affection, they create a safe environment rich in stimuli for the child’s holistic growth. This partnership is not merely desirable — it is essential. In the words of educator Antônio Carlos dos Santos, “to educate is a collective act of love with method.” And it is precisely at this point that the key lies: affection, when paired with knowledge, becomes educational power.

Recent studies from the Harvard Graduate School of Education show that active parental involvement in their children’s school life is directly linked to improved academic performance, higher self-esteem, and a reduction in behavioral issues. The developing child’s brain responds with more plasticity and security when it senses coherence and support between the two environments it frequents most: home and school. Neuroscience shows us that affection, predictability, and consistency are foundational for emotional and cognitive development.

Unfortunately, we still often find families that delegate all educational responsibility to schools or institutions that fail to create real spaces of listening and welcome for parents. This weakens the bond and leaves the child caught between mismatches. To avoid this, it is necessary to build a strong bridge of communication between parents and teachers, one based on open dialogue, mutual respect, and a shared focus on the child’s well-being. Schools can promote periodic discussion circles, parental workshops, and integrative cultural events like children-led theatrical performances.

In this context, the proposals developed by Antônio Carlos dos Santos stand out, such as the Mané Beiçudo Puppet Theater (TBMB), which transforms complex themes of family and school coexistence into sensitive and playful stories that can simultaneously move and teach. Through puppetry, children express feelings they often cannot articulate verbally, and parents become more empathetic as they observe their children's dilemmas represented with lightness and grace. In schools that have adopted this methodology, significant advances in coexistence and conflict resolution have been reported.

Another valuable example is the MAT – Mindset, Action, and Theater methodology, which invites parents and educators to jointly take on the role of protagonists in transforming behaviors and values. Through dramatizations, adults experience everyday child-related situations, rethink their attitudes, and strengthen intergenerational dialogue. Theater, in this context, acts as both mirror and bridge: it reveals shadows and illuminates possible paths.

Additionally, the ThM – Theater Movement method develops bodily and emotional awareness, promoting sensory experiences that integrate mind and body. A child who expresses themselves through movement becomes more capable of self-regulation, communicating emotions, and processing their experiences. When parents participate in these moments — even just as audience members or through small shared activities — they deepen emotional bonds and validate creative expression as a legitimate form of learning.

It is worth noting that children's literature also plays a central role in building this partnership. Antônio Carlos dos Santos is the author of an extensive body of literature focused on childhood, with titles that address themes like diversity, empathy, emotions, the environment, and mutual respect. These books can be read at home and discussed in school, creating a continuous thread between both environments. Shared reading is one of the simplest yet most powerful practices to strengthen bonds and expand children's emotional repertoire.

To enhance communication between parents and schools, it is crucial to cultivate the habit of active listening. More than responding, we must strive to understand: What does the other feel? What are their expectations? What are their anxieties and dreams? Parent-teacher meetings should not be moments of accusation, but of partnership. Teachers who value family narratives better understand each student’s context; parents who value the educator’s perspective are better prepared to support their child's developmental challenges.

Early childhood education is a fertile but sensitive terrain. It requires care, patience, and above all, collaboration. No school can be fully effective without family involvement, and no family can offer a child everything they need to grow in fullness alone. When both sides come together, learn together, and recognize that they are on the same team — the child’s — a new educational culture is born: more humane, more effective, and more loving.

Finally, it must be said: educating is an act of courage. And shared courage is stronger. May parents and schools see each other as allies, as builders of a healthier, more ethical, and more sensitive future. May every meeting be a celebration of partnership. May every child reflect the best we can be — together.

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