Creating agreements that work: There are three kinds of agreements: 1) Mutually agreed upon agreements. 2) Implied agreements. 3) The illusion of an agreement.. All three have equal weight in terms of consequences for keeping and/or breaking. A well crafted co-created agreement is one that is communicated and therefore honored. The word "communicated" here is different than telling, putting out, announcing, or passing out the rules/homework. It's different in that a co-created mutually satisfying agreement always works; it is ultimately honored because it has built within it the means or method of supportability. That is to say, it includes exactly how the student and his/her parent(s) would like you to handle them when they break (or threaten to break) the agreement; most importantly, it covers how they want you to handle them if/when they get upset or angry when you support them in honoring the agreement. It is both irresponsible and unethical to create a sloppy agreement, one you do not support rigorously and consistently—it's referred to as the illusion of an agreement—it contributes to a student's failure. The tutorial will support you in creating agreements that work. Press Back button to return to About Teacher's Tutorial. |