Going back to school has always been difficult for our family, both of my children have been diagnosed with Dyslexia…yay…I knew there was a reason why they struggled. We finally knew how to help improve their literacy BUT it meant there was a lot of coordination between student services, teachers, myself and my kids.
Summers are always a time to decompress…for all of us. No extra curricular activities, getting up on time for school, and best of all for my kids… no school. The pressure of having to be in a class where they always felt behind, had to do their assignments with more time or pulled out with an EA so they could have quiet space and/or a scribe, have all their classmates know that they were ‘different’ and be ok with it all.
Trust me, this wasn’t and still isn’t smooth sailing. We all have our ups and downs when it comes to having the emotional ability to deal with it all. I always think, “summer will give me the time to rejuvenate, fill my cup, relax”. Yeah right, we tend to find ourselves busier than ever just keeping up with summer fun, making sure we enjoy our time off, or just the daily hustle of work, food, happy kids, house chores repeat.
Knowing that I have a strong team behind me has really helped reduce the stress and anxiety I feel when school starts. Open communication with school, knowing who to connect with before school starts and making sure our agreed plans are in place before my son starts his first day at school has worked for starting the year out right.
This was not the case for my older daughter, I didn’t know that I was allowed to ask for what she needed beforehand. Being her mother taught me how important it was to advocate for her. For her to know that I was there to assist her during her academic journey, help her voice her needs and that it is ok to ask for help. I am so very proud of her, from a child that was diagnosed in Grade 6 and was done with school, went on to graduate from High School, received her Hairstyling Certificate, graduated from Red River College and now starting her own business.
We didn’t do it on our own. It takes a village to raise our children, don’t be afraid to ask for help as we are all willing to work together for our children to be successful…they are our future.
I am hoping that How to: Start your accommodation process for your dyslexic child will help you as much as it has helped my family to get started on asking for what our children need at school to have a chance to be successful and happy at school.
