I have been traveling recently and when I returned, my college age son mentioned something that made my heart swell. He had discovered a tv show from my childhood on Netflix. He asked me if I had ever seen Columbo? With enthusiasm, I said,"yeah!" Last night, we sat down and watched another episode. Columbo has a lot of lessons for me as an advocate.
First, he just shows up. ALL THE TIME! Questions are a good thing to ask but I have found that the "showing up approach" is really effective. I asked a few questions at a time. But I did it often, real often. As a parent this can be informally or formally. Some pare tsp stop by to talk with a teacher at pick up time or volunteer at school and are just there. This provides a way to constantly get questions answered. Other families have a monthly team meeting to make sure they stay in the loop with school personnel.
Next, Columbo asked questions that others thought were dumb or obvious. That's how he solved the crime. No question is too simple. Go ahead and ask it! It is likely to help you understand.
A final lesson I learned from Columbo was ....keep asking questions. The suspects realized that Columbo was not going away. I think this is an important concept especially if services are not adequate or if the school seems elusive. I have found that questions on a regular basis communicates a lot. School personnel are aware that more questions will be coming. Many times they give you the information before you ask, because they know you will ask!
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