4 Tips to Support Special Educators, Students, and Parents
The end of the summer is always a bittersweet taste of our warm days coming to an end while preparing for our next season’s arrival. As our sunny summer nears the end of its course, our students and teachers are shuffling back into their school year routines. Lunches packed, outfits picked out, and school supplies tucked into fresh and familiar backpacks. Traffic begins to shift as we welcome our friendly, long yellow wagons back into our neighborhoods.
Some parents are counting down the days till their children hurdle into new habits. Others are fearfully and tearfully letting their once small snuggly cubs take on their first and last adventures. Teachers are prepping classrooms for their new little learners while students are wishing summer’s curtains wouldn’t close so swiftly. As summer takes its final bow, we anxiously await the dawn of new beginnings.
Each person handles beginnings differently. Some find it overwhelming while others find it exciting. Or maybe you’re somewhere in the middle and perceive the shift of seasons as excitingly overwhelming. Regardless, new seasons are an adjustment. And for our special educators and families affected by disability, adjustments can sometimes become a little more exhausting.
One of the best defensive lineups in the country, arguably the world, is simply the action of support. As our special educators, students, and parents step into new patterns, the church is given the opportunity to become their number fan.
Not sure where to begin? As previously stated, yes, beginnings can be hard. Here are 4 tips to help your church support and encourage special educators, students and families as they take on another year of school.
1. Classroom Supplies.
Consider donating a few supplies to your local special educators’ classrooms. Public-school special educator, Shelley Stolle, shared that many students don’t have the resources to purchase good school supplies and clothes for the new year. Some schools provide budgets for teachers to purchase classroom supplies, but these budgets don't often cover the lengthy list of needs. Many teachers resort to purchasing items for their classrooms using money out of their own pockets. In 2021, AdoptAClassroom.org discovered that teachers spent an average of $750 of their own money to purchase supplies for their homes, classrooms, or students. A donation of basic school supplies, books, and cleaning supplies goes a long way. If you're unsure about what to purchase, simply ask!
2. Number One Fan.
Maybe your body can’t twist and turn like an acrobatic cheerleader, but that doesn’t disqualify you from cheering someone on! Words of encouragement and random acts of kindness are easy ways to demonstrate support and care.
Send a card or video to a student to let them know you’re rooting for them this year. Ask a student about their first day of school and check in on them throughout the year. However, keep in mind that not all students love school. To prevent these students from being triggered, try connecting with them by engaging in other things they enjoy. They love bikes? Go on a bike ride. Movies? Plan a movie night. Do they participate in school activities? Attend their soccer game or band concert.
You can also encourage your local teachers while they plan for the new school year. Recently, a florist company in Southern Pennsylvania thanked teachers for educating children in their community by delivering a small bouquet to every teacher in the school district. Whether it's flowers, a gift card to a local coffee shop, or a bag of sweets, teachers will always appreciate a small gesture of support.
3. Adopt a Classroom.
Do you know a special educator in your community? Contact them and ask if you could adopt their classroom! If this isn’t a task you feel comfortable taking on alone, get your church small group together to partner with a classroom near you. Support a teacher throughout the year by volunteering to cut out lesson materials, sort papers going home to parents, or organize cabinets and bins. Developing a relationship with an educator in your community opens the opportunity to provide ongoing support to a classroom throughout the year.
4. Adopt a Family.
Our special educators and students aren’t the only ones adjusting to new schedules. Parents and family members are setting earlier alarms too! Consider supporting a family adapting to the change of the calendar by sending a gift card to a local carry-out restaurant, dropping a meal on their doorstep, picking up snacks to stuff lunch boxes or offering to pick a child up from an extracurricular school activity one day a week.
As we prepare for the sun to set on the skyline of summer, The Banquet Network encourages you and your church to get involved in the lives of your special educators, students, and parents affected by disability. Instead of letting the barrier of new beginnings stop you in your tracks, we hope these tips will motivate you and your church to love your community well. And remember, even the smallest gestures can make the greatest impact. Farewell summer, and hello new beginnings.