As parents, we all want what is best for our kiddos, and it is easy to feel frustrated when we don’t feel like their needs are being met in school. But it is also important to understand there are often barriers in place at the school and systems level that may prevent educators from making rapid changes and that transforming learning environments takes time and patience. As parents, it is important for us to have an asset-based mindset about our teachers and schools and understand that they too, want what is best for your child, and may be doing the best with what they have. That isn’t to say that the status quo is ok, and that change isn’t necessary, but we must recognize that teaching practices and systems cannot change overnight.

 

Gone are the days where teachers have total autonomy of their classrooms. There are standards that must be followed, curriculum that must be implemented, standardized tests that are required by the state, and a long list of laws and regulations that need to be carefully followed. Teachers are often juggling multiple IEPs and haven’t been provided with the training to allow them to balance variability and diversity in ways that don’t make them feel stressed or burnt out.

 

If you're ever feeling frustrated with what's happening in your child’s classrooms, it would be great to reach out to your child’s teachers to get a better understanding of the landscape and ask them about what is going on and how you can be supportive. Remember, your teacher doesn’t have complete control of the system they work within and may be feeling every bit as frustrated as you. Have an open conversation with the teacher(s) and seek solutions without casting blame. Give the teacher some grace and respect as they may have 20, 30 or 100 students that they are teaching and implementing UDL can be a huge mindshift for teachers who have not been trained in these practices. If the teacher is not responsible for the problem that you are experiencing, ask to talk to the person who is and do the same with that person.

 

After you have open-minded conversations with the educators(s) serving your child, if there doesn’t seem to be any room for flexibility, share some resources about what Universal Design for Learning is, or ask them who in the district designs and delivers professional development so you can ask them. If you are willing, put yourself in a position where you're advocating for change to support teachers because they are working really, really hard and appreciate concrete strategies for their own practice that can increase levels of learning for students they serve.

 

 

Please read or watch or listen to at least two or three of the resources below to better understand what teachers’ are up against.

 

Read Something	Listen to Something	Watch Something
Get advice on how to have a meaningful conversation with your child’s teacher in this blog by Lisa Bosio, Senior Education Consulting at Novak Education. USA Today reports on how teachers are feeling burnt out and struggling to meet all of the demands of the profession. As you read this, think about you can have compassion for your child’s teacher while also advocating for your child. This article from Harvard University explains why teachers need our support.	Here is a podcast on what teachers need from Cult of Pedagogy (30 min). This podcast from the PTO, “Speaking Up for Every Child: Tips from a Parent Advocate” provides some great tips (28 min).	A Key and Peele parody of “SportsCenter” featuring new teachers instead of NFL draft prospects brings humor to the education conversation. While it humorously portrays a calculus teacher as a first-round draft pick, it also sheds light on genuine issues (4 min).