This episode publishes on the first day of school in my district, and I am starting the year with a thank you to teachers.

In this episode of The Collaborative IEP Podcast, I highlight the people who make a school a community. I tell you about my fifth grade science teacher, who was also my neighbor and my mom's colleague, and what watching her taught me about advocacy long before I ever sat at an IEP table.

In this episode, I discuss:

• Why school community matters more to our IEPs than we tend to notice

• What teacher appreciation looks like beyond a gift in October or May

• How watching teachers plan and problem solve shaped the way I advocate today

• Why understanding the pressure teachers carry does not lower our expectations for our kids

• What has changed in schools that makes that kind of teaching harder now

• A membership expansion I am beta testing this year for disability organizations that want to hand off their IEP support

• How to add your question to the running list of podcast topics

Our children deserve specially designed instruction that is built for them and helps them make meaningful progress, and holding teams to that is the work. It is also true that the adults sitting across the table are navigating principals, superintendents, and a growing pile of bureaucracy while they do it. Seeing both at once does not soften our advocacy. It makes it land.

Listen now for a back to school celebration of teachers, school community, and the belonging that makes good advocacy possible.

Join The Membership: https://ashleybarlowco.com/the-collaborative-iep-membership

Interested in the organization beta, or have a podcast topic to add? Email [email protected] or DM @thecollaborativeiep on Instagram.