Dear Loved Ones,
This strategy answers a question, "do we tell the teacher about our challenges?"
I get it. I feel it too. Misunderstanding and mistreating struggling students has been the experience since we were in school. It hurts, and we want to shield our kids from that.
Don't wait until the problems appear. That sets your child up to be viewed as a behavior problem in need of discipline, rather than a struggling student in need of support. We don't want our teacher to be flying blind, nor do we want the expectations of typical kids placed on our unique students. That's a set up for frustration, which doesn't help anyone.
Let's be proactive and open communication right away. We can do that through a carefully worded letter.
Enjoy!
There may be a hesitation, a fear, and maybe some anxiety about telling our new teachers about the challenging that our struggling students experience. In my experience, proactive communication most often makes a positive impact on the semester.
The "Dear Teacher" Letter
It is incredibly helpful to the teacher, for them to know what is going on with our kids, and even better, what works for our kids. If you pack an introduction letter with helpful tips and predictable challenges, you are doing your part to set the teacher up right.
After all, we don't want our teacher to be flying blind, nor do we want the expectations of typical kids placed on our unique students.
First, Appreciation
Start with a statement of appreciation. Teachers are overworked and overwhelmed, and our struggling students will probably stretch their patience, some days. Parents tend to be either cooperative or combative, and you will get much more cooperation and communication if you approach from a place of appreciation.
Then, A Concise Introduction
Consider including your child's diagnosis and previous academic related struggles. If your child hasn't changed schools, list previous teachers so that your teacher can collaborate.
You will include a short list of struggles in this part. Resist the drive to be overly thorough here. Pick the top two to three barriers to progress, that your student needed the most help with last year.
Follow With A Short Summary of Strategies
Follow the list of struggles with a concise list of strategies. Stick with strategies that involve the least effort from teacher as possible. You can ask for more support later, if needed.
Be mindful about your wording. We don't want to give the teacher any impression that you might be telling them how to do their job. Use words like "could" and "seemed to work." Keep in mind, this is a new year, and your teacher will need to find their own particular combination of strategies that work within this year's classroom culture.
Close With A Commitment
Wrap up the letter with a commitment to support the process. Balance the previous list of strategies, with a matching list of commitments to support the academic growth.
You could include things such as checking in daily with your student, emailing the teacher if there are any struggles of homework time, and providing incentives to reward positive school time performance.
