With school starting, a lot of us with transplant recipient children get a little more nervous than others with meet the teacher nights. We want our child's teacher to be aware that there is a recipient child in their
class, but we also know that they are already overwhelmed with a number of other things. How do you start out on the right foot without overwhelming your child's teacher immediately?
#1 - Have an understanding that your child's teacher will be their first point of contact for most of the school year.
Your child's teacher in elementary or preschool will be with them the majority of the day and will get to know them well. In middle and high school, you will probably want to make sure you inform their team and their counselor.
#2 - Taking care of a transplant recipient child can take a medical crash course to feel comfortable
It took most of us parents a long time to get adjusted to this new normal. Recognize that your child's teacher is going to have to learn some new medical terminology as well. And they will learn all of this knowing they may only use it for one year.
#3 - Your child's teacher might have multiple medically complex cases in one class.
In some classrooms, they group kids who have an IEP or 504 plan together so that one teacher in the grade becomes the expert in medically complex or cognitive issues. If this is the case, this teacher will likely have to review some very lengthy files before IEP or 504 meetings and may appreciate a quick one-page reference sheet to help them through the first few weeks.
#4 - Your teacher is learning about 20 - 40 other children the same night they speak with you and might be overwhelmed.
Those of us that have been there know how awkward it can be to drop the "my kid's a transplant recipient," when the teacher is shaking hands with multitudes of parents before school starts, on the first day, or on meet the teacher night. It's a lot to take, no matter who you are. Know that there are other parents afraid for their children as well, for various unknown reasons. Sometimes it's nice just to say, "I'd like to introduce you to my child, who is your new student; also, you should know a few things before the first day, and here is an easy sheet for reference. Call if there are questions." This way, you get to introduce your child to their teacher and not introduce the transplant to their teacher.
We are all in this together!
Generally, most teachers get into their profession to help children of all types grow and thrive. They are often under intense pressure and scrutiny in often less than ideal circumstances.
If we all have patience with each other, we can get a tremendous amount done. Download This link below for a template you can quickly fill out and use in order to start a further conversation. Leave comments below that could help us alter future versions of this one-pager or to help other parents who are experiencing their own first-day jitters.
Comentários