Are you feeling some rigidity in school?

This is a thought I have wondered about, particularly in the past 12 months... I feel like things have become a little more rigid in schools. Have you ever wondered the same thing?

Last week, I shared a little about my own experience of advocating, and I explained how I was noticing a tension that can sit underneath advocacy. This week, I want to widen the lens, because I believe something important is happening right now in our schools.

Across the board, I’m hearing the same themes:

• Teachers feeling stretched.
• Principals holding increased responsibility.
• More decisions sitting within the school — especially around supports and accommodations.
• A new curriculum being implemented.
• There is ongoing pressure from inspection processes.

It seems like a lot, and unfortunitely, when systems are under this kind of pressure, something very human tends to happen - people get stressed. People become overwhelmed (which often looks like being defensive or cross). Systems can tighten. You might notice this as:

• More rules, less flexibility
• A stronger focus on consistency over individualisation
• Decisions being held more firmly
• Conversations feeling more guarded

And sometimes…responses that feel a little more defensive than open.

This can be confusing as parents, especially because we’re coming with:

• Care
• Insight
• Lived understanding of our child

And we might expect that to be welcomed - we WANT to feel welcomed and understood, but when someone is under pressure, even helpful information can feel like more demand. Which is hard to think about when you are upset or stressed about your child. 

So I want to offer you this reframe:

When a system feels rigid, it’s often a sign of stress - not lack of care.

That doesn’t mean we stop advocating, but it does change how we approach things. Because when we meet rigidity with pressure…
it often increases. And we can experience conflict and difficulties can increase. Whereas when we meet it with understanding and clarity…
we create more space.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll show you how to do that.

How to:

• Stay steady in yourself
• Keep your child at the centre
• And still move things forward

You’re not imagining this shift, I am seeing it every single day in my role as a psychologist, and have discussed it with many of my colleagues. 

Just take things one step at a time. 

Your Child and Adolescent Psychologist,

Lorraine Xx

P.S. In the Membership this week, our webinar will show you what is going on beneath the surface in schools, so you can support your child in school. 

Members, please login and go to your newsfeed to this weeks 5 strategies.

To join the Membership, click below:

 Neurodiversity Parenting Membership