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My name is Rachel Schardt. My husband, Greg, is an orthodontist here in Monroe and Freeport. We live outside of town with dogs, chickens, cats, and goats that spend each day devising new ways to escape and wreak havoc. We also have an autistic five year old son entering kindergarten this year.
When our son received his diagnosis, the bottom fell out of our little world. It wasn’t shock or surprise, as we’d known long before the doctor told us, but we were paralyzed when contemplating the next steps. We had no idea what was right for him, who to ask, or what resources were available.
We are fortunate enough to have friends who had walked the path before us willing to sit us down for a brutally honest conversation and steer us in the right direction. I have a sister and brother-in-law who are always willing to take our son when we need respite and my husband has a job that can support the family so I can take our son to Madison for ABA therapy every day. My son has had a great experience within the Monroe School District with a trio of teachers every child deserves-Jennifer Neuenschwander, Kris Rufer, and Sheri Schaefer. I'm grateful for all of these things, but I know it's not the norm.
When I was asked to be the Monroe School District's family engagement liaison, I was excited for the opportunity, but had two major questions: what are all these acronyms and what exactly would I be doing? Which is a question I'm sure you all have getting a letter from a stranger with a brief synopsis of her life.
The Wisconsin Statewide Parent-Teacher Initiative (WSPEI) has a discretionary grant through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (WDPI). WSPEI works with Cooperative Educational Service Agencies (CESA) to support partnerships between parents and educators for students with disabilities and special needs. One of their programs is to train District Family Engagement Liaisons (DFEL). That's where I come in. My role is to assist the school district in developing family engagement activities and creating supports for those families, to promote positive relationships between parents and educators, and represent parents of children with IEPs in decision making groups when needed.
Parents have a tough job and with social media depicting everyone else’s perfect life, it often feels like we're failing. We're not most of the time, but for those instances where we do...it’s okay, being perfect isn't all that interesting anyhow and it's not reality. My hope with this position is to help every parent feel supported in their journey with a special needs student, to create an environment of non-judgement where families can come together and talk about their experiences and ask for help when they need it, to foster honest and clear communication between parents and educators even when it's hard, and for parents to feel excitement instead of dread when it comes to advocating for their children.
These are lofty goals and ones that we will not reach without you. I'm only one parent and I don't have all the answers. What works for me probably isn't going to work with everyone else. That's where you come in. I'd love to hear your ideas on how we can best reach these goals, what I or the school district can do to improve your and your child's experiences within the special education department, and how I can help support your family.
I've got a steep learning curve ahead and I'm hoping I can count on parents with more experience than me to step forward and lend their voice as we advocate for those students who cannot always speak for themselves.
I can be reached via email at rachelschardt@monroe.k12.wi.us or by phone at 608.558.1041.
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