Emma’s IEP Update
Today was Emma’s IEP. To be quite honest, my anxiety was pretty low! In part, it had to do with a comment I got from my previous IEP post here. I was a bit on fire after reading that (and not in a mean, nasty way!).
Long story short, we all went through Emma’s goals, therapist by therapist. She has been progressing, but not at the rate her goals were written at. So, many of her goals have remained the same. Which is fine…she needs to master these goals before moving on to the next, right? Well, my biggest concern was her extra para-professional support. She shares an aide with 2 other students in the class. Before the meeting, I asked her aide if she’d be interested in moving up with Emma to the 1st grade. She said she’d love to do that…phew…one less thing to worry about! The concern with the para is that we had a bit of a struggle “convincing” someone on the team last year that she needed para support. In the end, she got what she needed. Maybe it was to shut me up? So, because of that experience, I was hesitant about the reaction I’d get this time. (And it should be noted that this time the person I needed to convince wasn’t in attendance) However, upon bringing it up this year, everyone was in complete agreement that Emma needed that continued para support. And that’s it…that was my biggest fear! Nothing to fear in the end, but going into it, I didn’t know.
That is why I go into every IEP meeting with a confident mindset. Whether it’s keeping my phrase, “bow down bitches” in the back of my head, or just continually telling myself that “yes, Emma will get what she needs”, I go in there like a mother bear ready to protect her cub. You might say it’s a “fighting attitude” but not the bad kind of fighting. The kind that won’t back down.
So the comment yesterday surprised me at first. But then upon rereading my own post, I could see how someone might get the wrong idea if they didn’t know me. I could also see that this person who commented didn’t know anything about the IEP process. This person, in my assessment, had never had experience with a situation like mine. And obviously this person didn’t know me personally. Because I’m not a mean person, nor do I have a negative demeanor. I do appreciate her honesty and I encourage those people who have differing opinions! Healthy discussions are just that: healthy.
Any questions?
