As a child in school, I remember doing air raid drills when I was in elementary school but they faded away. We crawled under our desks and covered our heads but never really understood why we did the drill. Do our children understand why we have to do active shooter drills?

Many of us attempt to implement mindfulness throughout the year, but like preparing for an upcoming test we may need to increase and incorporate more practice during these times. We know the schedule for school between the middle of November to January is filled with long weekends or breaks.

As I was scrolling through Facebook, I came across a post that did a wonderful job describing the IEP meeting. It’s important for parents to be mentally prepared for how it will feel, including the many adults who will be present that will tell you all about your child. The group will explain all the ways your child is behind their peers and will feel focused on all the negative parts of your child. It may even feel as if it is your fault as a parent.

When can we move past the idea that a child is just naughty or behaving badly to understand trauma may have impacted this child’s learning and behavior? I have worked with many children who were constantly in fight or flight mode.

This conference is for you and about your child. Go in and seek out information. Utilize your time with the teacher and don’t allow it to be a task that needs to be checked off for the school year.

This week I was connecting with a friend and former colleague, discussing the struggles within one of the local school districts. This is a large urban district that was struggling prior to the pandemic and now is barely keeping its head above water. And at what cost?

As an education student, a common sentiment was you would learn more on the job than you would in a college lecture hall. But what about the things you learn in neither? It goes back to the saying you don’t know what you don’t know, but what if this means students suffer in the process.

One of these topics is dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia.

I can tell you that “giving” a student a 504 plan is a lot easier on a school than evaluating to see if a student actually qualifies for an IEP. The school doesn’t need to evaluate the student to see if they qualify.

Yesterday our son had some issues at school. He is naturally a rule follower, so when he witnesses others not following the rules he tends to insert himself into the situation. We continue to work with him on knowing when to insert himself or when to allow the adults to handle the situation. This can be tricky as you toe the line between tattling and telling.

We are 18 months and counting into the pandemic and as parents, we continue to balance mandates and unknowns for our children, sometimes day by day. Keeping up with communication coming from school and other places has become a job in and of itself.

You know what...it is exhausting!

You know what else...it is ok to recognize your exhaustion.

Students need positive relationships at school. I have witnessed firsthand as a parent, teacher, and administrator when this does and doesn’t happen. We had a year where our daughter’s teacher didn’t work to build a relationship. He went through the motions of being a teacher and we saw her effort wane as a result. She completed her work but you could tell she wasn’t as connected.

We can’t assume we know what each one of our students encounters on a daily basis. For example, we know through statistics and observation that some students may not have access to food at home.

If you are concerned about their educational success, then push forward and do not settle for a “let’s wait and see” mentality. If you are not happy with the response you receive from the school, then seek out the services of an educational consultant or advocate, even if to ask questions and/or get another set of eyes on the situation.

In working with teachers and parents, the topic of ADD (attention deficit disorder) and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) comes up often, revolving around the belief that a student has ADD due to a child’s inability to focus in school. Some parents become worried because in their experience these conversations immediately turn to medicating their child.

The subject of my last few blogs have dug into emotional support for our children. Please remember, our children will be tired both physically and emotionally! We need to give our children grace as they transition. Going back to school should not just be a relief for caregivers but an opportunity for our children to grow.