Meetings are an
opportunity to share your child’s story and the ways change can occur. Often meetings involve your school but they
can be with service providers or your church.
I’ve found that if I prepare for them I have more opportunity.
How? First of all, I prepare my own agenda of
things I want to talk about. For a meeting, this may be the only agenda. It helps steer the conversation and gives the
meeting a “plan.” It also helps everyone
to stay on track and discuss the issues in a timely manner. This is important for two reasons:
1.You, as the parent, can
talk about the issues that are important to you. Without an agenda, you may leave the meeting
frustrated having not dealt with the areas you wanted to address.
2.Time is limited. A
school or professional allots a specific amount of time for a meeting. An agenda makes sure you stay on task in the
discussion and accomplish everything within that time frame.
An agenda does not need to be complicated
but it is helpful to bring a copy for all people in attendance. It helps them “see” what you want to
accomplish.
It’s often helpful to
e-mail the person in charge of the meeting letting him know that you will bring
items to discuss. April is often a “big
meeting” month. If you have a meeting
this month, give an agenda a try!
