Promoting the well-being of children and adolescents is one of the main challenges facing education. The growing number of issues related to mental health, anxiety, and the insecurities experienced by students underscores the importance of collaboration between schools and families.

This will be one of the topics discussed at the Bett Nordeste Conference, taking place on August 19 and 20 at the Recife Expo Center in Recife (PE). Arnaldo Mendonça, executive director of Sinepe/PE and principal of Colégio Dom, will participate in the panel “Family, School, and Well-Being: How to Build a Care Network?” alongside Patrycia Alves, coordinator of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Pernambuco (UPE), for a discussion on how schools and families can build more effective care networks. Registration for the event is available here. 

According to Mendonça, although families and schools play different roles, both need to work in a complementary manner. He believes that some of the difficulties observed today are related to changes in family behavior following the pandemic.

"Families and schools have distinct roles, but they need to work in harmony. During the pandemic, people gave up many important activities and managed to get through that period. Afterward, however, many parents began to avoid any kind of frustration for their children. This attitude ends up creating conflicts with the school and contributes to increasing students' emotional insecurity," he says.

In the educator's view, the attempt to shield children and adolescents from any disappointing experiences can hinder the development of essential life skills.

"Those who try to shield their children from all frustration also end up limiting important experiences. In sports, for example, someone wins and someone loses. Overprotection tends to lead to insecurity, low self-esteem, and difficulty facing challenges," Mendonça points out.

Arnaldo Mendonça is one of the speakers at the Bett Nordeste Conference. Photo: courtesy of the organizer.

Transparency builds trust

In addition to day-to-day interactions, the principal emphasizes that building a relationship of trust begins even before enrollment. In his view, parents should choose a school based on how well the institution’s educational philosophy aligns with their family’s values. “This alignment reduces conflicts and strengthens the partnership throughout the student’s educational journey,” he explains.

For this relationship to be lasting, Mendonça believes that communication must be guided by active listening. In his view, administrators and educators need to be willing to listen to families and students without compromising the school’s identity and educational mission.

"Transparency, truth, and sincerity are fundamental elements for building an environment of trust between schools and families. Administrators don’t know everything. They need to respect parents and students, listen to them, welcome them, understand their struggles, and engage in dialogue—but without compromising their convictions or the educational vision, which is developed collectively," he says.

Mendonça adds that acknowledging mistakes is also part of this process. “When a school fails, admitting the mistake and apologizing shows strength, not weakness,” he concludes.

The Bett Nordeste Conference invites reflection on how schools and families can share responsibilities in the face of contemporary challenges in education. The topic will also be addressed in other panels at the event, such as “Schools Can’t Educate Alone: How Can We Turn Families into Learning Partners?”, featuring Fernandinho Beltrão, managing partner of Academia Fernandinho Beltrão, and Jéssica Campos, educational solutions analyst at CESAR.

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