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One thing that I have learned this week is that many schools hold traditional notions of parent involvement. Parent involvement is determined by motivation. A collective orientation to parental involvement leads to more effective results. This can be something important that I can remember when trying to get parents more involved in the school community. We should work toward enriching all students' experiences. I also learned that Each community must define parent and school engagement locally because no two communities are the same and what works for one school or district may not work for another. Also, technology can be used to support relationships between students, parents, and school staff.  These include things like email distribution systems to engage families, websites, and school blogs.

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This week I learned the importance of positive rapport building with families who have children with disabilities. This is extremely important because you never know what they are going through and being able to see more of their world. I also learned more of the importance of equity in the school systems. Making sure that there are fair opportunities for all students regardless of their race. Students of color are overrepresented in special education classes and I feel this also sometimes occurs due to the lack of involvement and learning more about the background of the student and family. I also feel that it is important to remember to be empathetic in all situations. Once we as educators can begin to put ourselves in their shoes more families will begin to feel more comfortable in opening up and sharing with schools.

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What I learned this week was the emphasis on communication with the families. It is so important that they are involved in what the student needs are within the school. While I knew it was important to keep them involved, I really began to understand just how important it is. There are so many ways to make sure they stay involved including car duty assistance, planning fundraising events, and so much more. I think it is great to let parents be more involved with the school. Another thing that was a learning experience was the assumptions that causes color people, more especially Black students, to be overrepresented in special education. Having this knowledge is going to help me really challenge as to why someone is suggesting the student to the special education program. I will be allowing more parent involvement in the decision to more forward with special education.

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This week I really learn the different types of emotional reactions to disability with the families and really take that into consideration when it comes to talking and being involved with the families.  Again the biggest thing I would take away from it is not what you say but how you say it and also put yourself in the family shoes.  Lastly, building that relationship will go a long way for you as the teacher and have the family feel comfortable that you have the best interest for their child(s).  Communication is the key.

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What I learned from this week’s material is that I never understood that families that have children with disabilities could experience so many emotions.  I understand that parents visualize their child(ren) and what their future will look like. What their interests would be (e.g. sports, hobbies, skills) and all things considered only to hear that something may have gone wrong during the pregnancy or after.  My last course, we were able to listen to working parents that have children with disabilities.  So, reading more about the emotions I was able to have a better understanding.  Additionally, during the Collaboration with Families - I loved listening to the testimonials of the parents sharing their experiences of what it is like to have a child with a dis/ability.  I can say working with SWD each day I deeply care and love them as if they were my very own. Having earned the confidence of the parents makes it that much sweeter.  I also learned that in the future how important it is to make parents feel welcomed in schools and communities that they already feel like outsiders.  Allowing them to have a sense of togetherness and belonging.  One other key factor is to be able to help parents navigate through social services and educational process.

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This week I learned parents take on many roles other than being a parent and an advocate for the child. I also didn't realize how many emotions that they go through. I knew that they are maybe sad or even depressed, but angry was not an emotional response I thought they would have. It makes me sad to know how much of a struggle it for them emotionally and physically. And to think that we as educators could put more pressure on their shoulders is something I never thought about. I believe it is an insight to learn ways to make them feel comfortable and safe.

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After completing the IRIS module, I learned that parents/guardians can experience many different emotions when they learn that their child has a disability. A lot of the emotions they experience are similar to the grief cycle, with emotions like anger and denial. Another topic I learned more about this week was assumptions made about students of color and how that leads to their over representation in special education classes. As a leader, who will be sitting in on many IEP conferences, it is important to use this information to better understand where the parents are coming from. Knowing that they are experiencing a vast array of emotions, I can assure the parents I am there to support and help accommodate their needs.

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This week was filled with a lot of great information. Therefore, I will share three things that I learned from this week’s content and how it can assist me in my current and future roles.

Family partnerships or parent collaboration is not as black and white as we think. I learned that family partnerships have a continuum of collaborations which has four stages (informing, involving, engaging, and leading). The initial stage, informing, seems to be the most superficial and the stages that follow, involving and engaging, actually work to develop two-way communication with families. The final stage, leading, allows families and the school to develop a more profound collaborative partnership which is what schools should be working toward if they want to develop strong partnerships with families.

At the start of this class, I was perplexed by the notion that even within the special education world white privilege is evident. The article by Blanchett, Klinger, and Harry helped me understand the reasons why white privilege in special education occurs which is due in part by the complex intersections of race, culture, language, disability and SES. Moving forward, it is important that we consider students' intersectionalities to avoid perpetuating the problems that currently exist.

Finally, I learned more about the daily experiences of families with students with disabilities which helped me to understand why educators should be more compassionate towards the families that they serve.

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I learned that parents Take on roles of the various professionals that their child. Also, a list of emotions that parents experience when they find out their child has a disability. You might think denial, confusion, and sadness would be the only things a parent would feel. I honestly never would have thought a parent would be angry.  The other thing that I learned about collaboration is the different levels of it when it comes to parents attempting to build a relationship with their child's school.  I see it everyday but I never knew the different levels in what makes up Collaborations.

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The first thing I learned this week is that parents actually may experience the grief cycle when they find out that their child has a disability. It will make me a more compassionate and patient administrator when I am in IEP meetings and may see the fluctuation in parent emotions. Second, I learned that parents of children with disabilities take on many additional roles that can make it hard for them to make meetings, volunteer at school or "seem" invested in their student. I have been to many IEP meetings where the parent did not show, and this now makes sense. As an administrator, I will use this knowledge to make sure I am flexible and accommodating when planning meetings with them.

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I learned that parents can go through the same grief process individuals go through when they experience the death of a loved one when they have a child diagnosed with a disability. Another thought I learned was that there are many assumptions present about the correlation between individuals of color and placement in special education.

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I learned that people believe that poverty can cause or lead to a learning disability. This is another why people see students of color as less than. Students deserve so much more than being looked at by where they live. I know that areas of poverty have schools that are less funded and resourced, I wonder if that is because of color or because of a "they are already poor let's keep them down attitude"? Either way, it was sad to read about. I also learned that parents become a lot more than just a parent when they find out their child has a disability. For example, Luz said she would help her son as if she was his physical therapist.

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One thing that I learned was that parents of students with disabilities wear multiple hats. I hadn't given much thought to how they need to become experts with insurance, inclusions specialists, transition specialist, future planners, etc. That's a lot on anyones plate. I also learned that educators need to recognize that parents of children with disabilities are the ultimate decision makers. That makes sense but I had never really though about that. I think in my mind the educators that specialized in that area made the ultimate decision because maybe they knew best . In my future role as an educator, I will need to keep in mind that the parents of students with disabilities actually live with that child and have spent the most time with that child and know what's best for them and their family. As an educator, I am their support and need to embrace their knowledge.

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One thing I learned was that parents often express different emotions including denial, anxiety, fear, depression, guilt, and anger after their child is revealed with a disability. Another thing I learned was suggestions (such as listening to families and acknowledge their stressors, understanding each family’s individual circumstances, and making a list available of community resources) one could share with colleagues who work with families of children with disabilities. This information will be useful to know for my future job as I will be able to identify and offer help with parents’ emotions and also provide suggestions to colleagues.

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One thing I learned this week is that we have a long way to go with equity in our schools and in our society. Thirty years ago I remember people discussing the biases of IQ tests, yet there has been little to no change to correct those biases. As a teacher, I will have a culturally responsive mindset and educate myself on each student to make their education as meaningful and high quality for them.

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One thing I learned was that parents often experience a period of grief once they find out their child has a disability. I have always imagined this 'what if' scenario, and have always felt guilty for thinking that this would be a really difficult thing to wrap my head around. Knowing that this grieving period is common amongst most parents eases my mind about it. Another thing that I learned is that IQ testing can be biased towards students of color. I did not realize this previously; I always assumed IQ testing was completely object and administered with fidelity. This will be useful to know moving forward because I will make sure to look at more than just a student's IQ score in the future.

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One thing I learned is that many parents often feel guilty, anxious, scared, and sad when first finding out their child has a disability, but that often changes to joy and strength after some time. I learned that is important to involve the parents and know they are the ultimate decision maker. I also learned that public schools can use labeling a student fo color with a disability to further exclude them and segregate them. It is awful and sad that schools are doing this. I can use what I have learned in my future job by being patient and open minded, as well as understanding if I work with people with a disability, or with someone who has a family member with a disability. I can treat them equally as everyone else and make sure they feel welcome in the workplace.