We took every precaution there was. We read-up on what every parent suggested. We had back-ups of back-ups. We met with the nurse. The kids were all getting a letter home in her K class so everyone was on the same page. Our 504 plan was in place. Jill had quit work so she was ready for anything………and still the poop hit the fan on day one.
For reasons way beyond our control the bus took a different route and dropped Kaitlyn off almost an hour past when she was supposed to be dropped off. This was way before cell phones and this was actually back-in-the-day when you could not be in contact with the bus driver.
This was Day One.
I tell you that so you know, I totally ‘get’ the frustration with what can happen on the first day of school. Imagine the panic of not knowing where you child was/is in general; and now add to that the anxiety of your child not only having T1D, but on the VERY FIRST DAY of school in her life. Not 10 minutes late, not 20, not even 30—-but an hour.
Got that feeling in your stomach?
Why I was not arrested for murder that day was probably sheer luck that I could not get to the school. But it was a lesson learned, a crucial lesson learned. No matter what you do, SOMETHING is going to happen. I also learned that in a school system, this may surprise you, they do not revolve around our kids with T1D. Do they care? Sure they do and that is why they became involved with the school district to begin with; in most cases they LOVE kids.
But they also have to deal with hundreds of kids every single day at any given moment. Now hear me correctly, when something goes wrong they need to also be responsible. And more importantly, they (and we) need to be responsible in advance of something going wrong. But even after every step being taken, something will derail. It’s at this point that WE NEED TO BE AT OUR BEST.
Remember when a mistake is made, your most important objective: to ensure that it never happens again. How you get there is up to you. But your actions will dictate how successful your future will be. Being upset is absolutely understandable but always remind yourself that the next step is to correct it. Respectfully, firmly, and respectfully—-yes ‘respectfully’ is listed twice for a reason.
There are too many scenarios to list one-by-one but just remember your actions set the ground work. When Kaitlyn’s stop was missed, as angry as we were, she was fine. We did not contact the principal every time something happened. If we had to work it out with the teacher, gym teacher, and/or school nurse, we did. We went to the principal only when needed, and they responded over the years.
School officials may know because they know; they may know because you told them; but they DO NOT KNOW your child as well as you. Your child(ren) are your world. I know the force of ‘mama-bear’ and all that goes ‘with it’, but just remember that NO ONE knows ‘your child’s every move’, like you do.
Again, I am in no means making excuses for anyone but I’m reminding you that your child has to be in school every day; pick and choose how to correct a situation and when to roar. Roaring all the time only makes people immune to hearing it when it is happening all of the time.
Take a breath and always remember your objective—–to CORRECT the situation. Food for thought.
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