Imagine your favorite restaurant at the busiest lunch hour possible; it probably is a challenge getting your order in on time and not always relaxing when you feel rushed yourself. This is exactly how it feels for the teachers and staff in preparation for the upcoming school year; the next two weeks feel like “lunch hour”. Everyone is asking for time when there is a crunch to get it all done before the opening of school. So here’s what I suggest:
1. If your child has special needs concerns which must be addressed before the first day of school; make an appointment with your child’s teacher or case manager and see if they can talk over the phone or however works best for them. Evening, daytime, weekend.
2. If you do “drop in”; bring a snack or a coffee house gift card; likely, your child’s teacher is having a tough time getting everything in, like eating, and a little token of appreciation goes a long way.
3. If it can wait, suggest an appointment after the third day of school; there are so many changes going on the first few days of school such that you will have their best attention when things settle down a bit.
4. Finally, don’t assume the staff members have read your child’s IEP or 504 Plan by the first week; in fact, it may be helpful to bring a copy yourself and share the documents with kindness and grace; “You may have not had time to review this … I brought one for you to look over when you can”.
All in all, the first week of school is a crazy week for the principals and teachers; in fact, there are still changes in class assignments and student placements through the first week or two of school. So a smile, a homemade snack (or bakery fresh), and patience goes far at this time.