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Teacher said he's "choosing" not to focus. I lost it a bit.

Started by Ben L · 18 December 2025

Parent-teacher interview. She told me he 'just needs to choose to apply himself'. I tried to explain executive function and got a blank stare. How do you get a teacher on board without becoming The Difficult Parent?

5 replies

Kate P

18 December 2025

Bring it back to 'can't vs won't' every single time, in writing. I email a short summary after every meeting — 'just confirming we agreed X'. Paper trail + polite = much harder to dismiss.

Amanda H

19 December 2025

Ask for the learning support teacher / SENCO to be in the next meeting. The classroom teacher often just doesn't have the training and a one-pager from the OT can change the whole conversation.

Bec J

19 December 2025

I printed a one-page 'how my kid's brain works' with 3 dot points of what helps. Teachers actually used it. Happy to share the template.

Ben L

19 December 2025

Yes please Bec, that would be amazing 🙏

raising_ramy

20 December 2025

Being 'the difficult parent' who got results > being the easy parent whose kid fell through the cracks. You're his advocate, own it.

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