See for Yourself

We have been really lucky! We’ve had some truly amazing professionals who have worked with Michael in and out of school.  We trust them with our greatest treasure each and every day.  But because Michael cannot share the details of his day, sometimes we need more information to feel truly at ease.  

Communication Log

Michael’s school has set up a communication binder and we can see a page summarizing each of his school days. It travels back and forth in his backpack so we get information every day he is at school. This is a huge help for us because we can try to spark conversation about his day, knowing what he did and whether he liked it.

That is a huge comfort, but my Timely Tip this Tuesday is to see for yourself whenever possible. Volunteer to help out when you’re able or schedule a visit. Maybe on a day off from work, you could drop off or pick up instead of having your child take the bus. The small changes in routine are good practice for our kids and there is just no substitute for seeing your child in their school environment, around their teachers and their classmates.

One Thought

Keep in mind that if your child’s aide is with them, the school district may have asked them to not give you specific updates about your child. They want the people higher up on the ladder to control the narrative, and I don’t think it is fair to put any pressure on the one-on-one aide to give you info outside of the proper channels. 

But

You’ll get a lot of information just by showing up every so often and having a look around. You can get a casual update on how the day went, watch the aide interacting with your child and see how the other kids treat them as well.  I know life gets super busy, but I think the security of knowing for yourself is worth it in the end.