A couple of weeks ago I talked about how I didn’t want to attend my sons Back-To-School night. Guess what happened? I decided to reach out to the teacher and explain why it was difficult to attend. She was very understanding and emailed me the Back-to-School Presentation and put all of the handouts in my sons backpack.
Sometimes it just takes for you to reach out. One of the things that occurs when we can’t attend a school event is parental guilt. Especially when you start to compare your ability to be there with other parents. You may feel ashamed and guilty which in turn causes you not to acknowledge that you will miss some important information that will support your child during the school year.
Instead embrace other ways that you can get the information that you need while creating a relationship with your child’s teacher and IEP team.
Here are some tips to get this done easily:
Take Charge - Send an Email to the teacher explaining that you can not attend a specific event and that you don’t want to miss the information. Ask if there is an alternate way to participate.
Get Your Mind Right - Take a breathe and embrace that participating in your child’s academic life is not cookie cutter. You will need to find a way to participate that will work for your lifestyle. You can be an active participate in your child’s academic journey through emails and in person.
Review the School Year Calendar - This way you can enter the meetings into your calendar, that way you are not surprised when you get the reminder the day before. Also, figure out which ones you might not be able to attend in person and proactively reach out to the teachers. Never forget that IEP meetings can be held over the phone.
I attend all IEP meetings and Parent-Teacher Conferences because I am terrible with putting faces and names together and I’m able to do that when I see people often.
One of the best things about the Back-to-school handouts is that the teachers provided mini biographies of themselves and pictures. I was able to use these when I updated my sons Individual Education Plan (IEP) Binder Communication page.
