I am the “I” in IEP.

I am the I in IEP.

I am the mom who knows the most about my son.

Who wants more than anyone else at that meeting table to see you succeed, to see you grow, to see you be and feel accepted, to see you have all the support you need without accidentally giving you too much that that in itself disables you.

I am the one who has sat through countless therapy visits, hour after hour.

I am the one who has learned strategy after strategy to get you to the state of progress you have made.

I am the one who has stood in the face of adversity, from the moment you were born, on your behalf.

I am the mom who has kept records, scheduled and attended the meetings, taken notes, researched for days, upon years.

I am the I in IEP, who knows a great deal about what is at stake.

But we sit at the table and you say to me,

I am the I in IEP.

I am the school.

My hands are tied.

I do care about your child.

The funding isn’t great for our special needs kids who don’t quite need extreme amounts of help.

I will tweak the services he would benefit from to just a little less than what would satisfactorily do.

I will present the accommodations, but there likely won’t be enough staff to assist with them.

I will sometimes care enough to try harder, but ultimately, I am a limiting in the IEP.

I am the I in the IEP

I am the advocate who will stand beside you.

I will fight for you.

I will negotiate for you.

I won’t let you do this alone.

I will call out the specifics that are being missed.

Just one catch. I don’t come for free.

Mom, you’ve got to pay me.

So who is the I that matters most?

I am the I in IEP.

I am the child.

I want to feel safe.

I want to feel loved.

I need your support.

I need acceptance.

I need you to see me.

I need you to see me with your heart as well as with your mind.

I need you to see me as a student but also as a person.

I need you to be sensitive to the communication styles and methods that teach me best.

I need you to see when I am overwhelmed.

I need you to encourage me.

I need you to show me that my areas of need can be stepping stones for success and growth for both me and you.

So you see, with all these “I”s in the IEP, no one is really getting too far.

Why does it feel like I am against you, and you are against me?

What if the school and the parent can turn the I into WE?

We are the partners who will not stop until we have a good plan.

We will be adaptable, consistent and loyal.

Then, we can be the team that will figure this out.

And ultimately, only then, the real I in the IEP, my child, wins.