As a parent, back to school time was a bag full of mixed emotions. I was a stay at home mom for 21 years so I had lots of seasons I went through during back to school time. Sometimes, it was about buying school supplies and all the excitement for a new beginning. There was a parent only night where I picked up a packet which had the class list for each of my children. There was other information about the school year, but for our family the class list told who the teacher was and who my child's classmates were. These sheets of paper were the "creme de la creme" for us!! I'm sure this is done online these days. Then it was time for back to school night to meet the teacher. All done, right? That worked until my son started school. We were in need of a new routine!
Here are a few ways that have helped my son and others I know with learning differences.
- Schedule a meeting with the main school personnel (classroom and special education, teachers, speech pathologist, school counselor) before school begins. It is important to explain his needs but it is equally vital to begin developing a good relationship with these people. They are your lifeline to a successful year. A strong relationship and a good first impression will go a long way.
- If possible, schedule a time for your child to meet his classroom or home room teacher before school begins. I think it will be an asset to your child and teacher(s) to have a first meeting when the situation is very calm.
- As you have these meetings, it maybe decided that a follow up meeting would be helpful. Try to get a meeting scheduled for mid to late September. It will be easier to schedule this meeting now when life is calmer without children in the building everyday. If you wait until school starts to schedule it, it may be harder to get everyone to a meeting until later in the semester. It is important to nail down a time now. You'll be glad you did.
It's time to email or call the school to schedule these times. You may have to "press" a little to pull together the school staff meeting. I have found that if families have this "before school starts" gathering, there's a much better experience during the school year. I'd love to hear how these ideas work for you.
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