Skip to main content

Tokens



I went to the great and mighty Google and entered the following question:

What do special needs parents want?




Here’s a sampling of the results. There’s plenty to delve into and learn from. You know what answer I didn’t find?

Badges.


Apparently the school system is launching an initiative to motivate special needs parents to attend informational workshops by offering them...badges.

I’m sure this is well-meaning, but I just don’t get it. Special needs parents are some of the most highly motivated parents out there. They maintain an active, independent parent advocacy group, SECAC. Why on earth would you think you could motivate them with badges? Were they out of stickers? 

What happens if you earn all the badges? Do you get a sash?

If I wanted to get parents who are already over-burdened to participate in educational workshops I think I’d appeal to their innate desire to learn more about how they could become better equipped to support their children. If I wanted to provide incentives I’d be thinking along the lines of certificates for respite care and restaurant gift cards for those nights where everything has gone to pieces and you just can’t cook. 

But, badges? No. It just wouldn’t enter my mind.

I promise I’ll keep my eye on this in case there’s somehow more about this that I don’t yet fully understand. But, at this very moment, it seems to be an unwitting insult to a group of parents in our community who are looking for empowerment, not token reinforcement.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...
1 comment
Read more