Commentary: I admit it – I’ve texted my son’s teachers after school hours

PARENTS ARE ALSO LEARNING AS THEY GO

My son’s not the first child to have ADHD, and he’s not the last. Plenty of kids and their parents deal with it successfully without bothering their teachers.

But it is my first time raising a child with special educational needs and I’m learning as I go.

And if I am being honest, there is a lot to remember, from ClassDojo notifications to learning portal passwords and SwimSafer test dates. Not only do I have to keep up with these on his behalf, I have to coax and cajole him to sit down and complete his tasks.

I feel the weight of his teachers’ responsibilities when I look around his classroom, even though it’s reduced in size to accommodate children with learning differences.

I can only imagine the constant chasm they get caught in, between ensuring meaningful learning among their students, keeping everyone happy and comfortable, keeping the communication lines open with parents, and delivering results.

If I can hardly get my one kid to sit down and do his homework for 10 minutes, how do they manage 30?

The biggest irony is that I am an educator too. While I teach at a polytechnic, over the years, I too have seen more requests to accommodate a variety of learning challenges. I once received a parent’s note to seat their daughter near the door and nowhere else.

I’ve also received panicked texts from students and their parents outside school hours. I oblige – we all do. It seems like the right thing to do.

But it cannot be left to teachers to deal with after-hours communication. As an educator and a parent, I agree that clear lines should be drawn with some leeway given for special cases.