Thank you to teachers who are right now putting their health at risk during the Covid pandemic to provide an education to our children. Thank you to those teachers who push against the system, who advocate hard for their students, and who put so much of themselves into their work because they know it matters. It matters to those kids, and to their parents. So, thank you.
Thank you to teachers who are right now putting their health at risk during the Covid pandemic to provide an education to our children. Thank you to those teachers who push against the system, who advocate hard for their students, and who put so much of themselves into their work because they know it matters. It matters to those kids, and to their parents. So, thank you.
Thinking Outside The Box
Originally posted on twoe.medium.com
Full disclosure, guys: I am not good with bureaucracy. I know there are rules and processes in place in an effort to keep things fair and to ensure there is regulation and oversight. I get that red tape (sometimes) serves a purpose. I also admit to being somewhat (okay, quite… okay, very) impatient. I get really tired of hearing variations of “ we can’t do that”, or “it’s out of our hands, it’s how the system works and we can’t change it”. I acknowledge that change is difficult, but sometimes these are just cop-outs and reluctance to get a little (or very) creative and resourceful.
You CAN. You can and WE can. Change is not easy, and the larger the bureaucracy, the slower the change. I’m also not advocating for anarchy here (not today at least). Let’s change the system from within in a positive and collaborative way, but let’s not merely throw up our hands in defeat without even trying to push for change when it is needed.
Sometimes professionals become complacent and just accept “no” for an answer — or worse, stop asking altogether when they assume the answer will be no. When people and their ideas get rejected so often, sometimes they simply stop asking and give up trying.
This is not okay. Seriously.
People deserve to work in an environment where they are heard and where change is possible. The status quo is unacceptable; we must learn and change and grow as we find new and better ways of doing things. Stagnation is unhealthy and unhelpful (plus, it’s boring, and we folks with ADHD love novelty).
When parents or educators see what they feel is a fairly simple solution for a problem in school the possibility should at least be considered. In fact, when parents, educators, and other professionals are coming up with ideas and suggestions, rather than simply pointing out problems, this should be rewarded and encouraged.
Is your child’s school providing appropriate accommodations and required services during this time of distance(d) education?
Is your school’s division and school team doing everything they can to follow your child’s IEP (or SSP, or BIP, or whatever letters they are currently using) via in-class, hybrid, or online learning?
I fully recognize the extreme challenge educators are facing having gone from in-class instruction to online platforms, to one-on-one in-class supports, to hybrid learning, back to in-class, to who-knows-what school will look like tomorrow let alone next week.
Teachers, I hear you banging your heads against the proverbial wall (and maybe the real wall some days, too). Please rest assured, I am advocating for school staff as well as students (honestly, I’m surprised MLA Cliff Cullen hasn’t blocked me on Twitter yet, but the year is young).
Dear Teachers: I see you and appreciate you. I know many of you have been advocating for your students louder and longer than almost anyone else.
The onus is on a team of people, not any one person or role, to work together and come up with solutions that will meet the needs of each individual student Not an easy task by any means. A very important task nonetheless, and one that parents, caregivers, and students have every right to expect.
As a parent, caregiver, or student, if you have concerns or needs that are not being met, please don’t feel as though you cannot ask for support or accommodation because of the challenging circumstances we are all experiencing. Education is a right to which all children deserve access, and it’s up to the parents and school teams to work together to make that happen.
If you need help working with your school, please feel free to contact us to arrange a meeting.
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