How to partner with your child’s school with clarity and calm
It’s the type of call every parent hopes they’ll never get. But the laws of probability suggest that if you have school-age children, there’s a good chance you’ll face a significant challenge with at least one of them that will require working closely with the school.
The process usually has phases: There’s the first call alerting you that something is “atypical” with your child’s learning or behavior, the shock that follows (which can include a storm of emotions like denial, anger, grief, and eventually acceptance), the research stage (where you speak to every specialist and read countless articles), followed by multiple — or many, many — conversations with the school to figure out an appropriate educational plan.
School psychologist Mrs. Adina Fertig is familiar with each step of the process. She has the unique advantage of understanding both the perspective of the school — she worked for the New York City public system for 11 years, and now supports families in the Cleveland Public Schools system and is employed by Agudah as an educational consultant — as well as the perspective of parents, whom she coaches in her private practice.
“Growing up is a messy process,” she tells parents who reach out to her for help navigating the IEP (Individualized Education Program) and service process, or who simply aren’t sure how to address their child’s needs in school or at home. “Instead of being caught off guard by getting ‘that’ phone call from the school, I tell them to expect it. When children are given space to be themselves and develop in a healthy, appropriate way, challenges are inevitable — and even healthy. Children are supposed to test boundaries because this is how they explore the world and eventually develop into the best version of themselves.”
Create a free account to keep reading.
