I Thought 80 Might Be the Right Time to Retire. I Was Wrong.

For a long time, we assume we're seeing everything clearly. Then something happens that makes us realize how much we've been missing.

I know that feeling well.

Margaret was doing everything right.

If you lead special education, you may know that feeling.

You spend your days advocating, problem-solving, coaching, and putting out fires. You carry the hopes of families, the needs of students, and the concerns of teachers. Then you walk into a leadership meeting and realize you’re still fighting to be heard.

I know because I keep hearing the same story.

Not from one leader - from too many.

Some people save lives with a single lesson.

Most of us can still picture the teacher who changed something in us. The one who saw us before we saw ourselves. The one who stayed after class, wrote the extra note, pushed us harder, or quietly refused to let us disappear.

You can hear the exhaustion in a sentence like that.

Not anger. Not blame. Exhaustion.

A Superintendent said that to me after my presentation at the National School Boards Conference last month, and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

“Families are passive participants at our IEP meetings… if they come.”

You’ve probably heard it. Maybe you’ve even felt it. Maybe you’ve wondered if that means parents don’t care??

It’s an easy conclusion to draw, but it’s also the wrong one.

What if we flipped the script?

I’ve been paying attention.

Five conferences.
Fifteen webinars (maybe more).
Stacks of notes, tools, strategies, and “next best practices.”

And yet… I keep circling back to one idea that refuses to leave.

There is a theme emerging in education right now - clear, consistent, and quietly powerful:

Agency.

Should you always stay in your lane?

Sometimes it's the safest and smartest advice. But in education, "stay in your lane" can also become a barrier to collaboration, innovation, and better outcomes for students.

In this episode, Dr. Amy Pleet-Odle explores three common situations where educators and families are encouraged to stay in their lane - and why crossing those boundaries may be exactly what's needed to create meaningful change.

Are you - and your students - actually getting the full benefit of your MTSS system?

I’ve been sitting with that question ever since attending several breakout sessions at the Council for Exceptional Children Convention in Salt Lake City a few weeks ago.

You know that uncomfortable moment when you think you’ve got a solid grasp on best practice…
…and then new research gently (or not so gently) taps you on the shoulder and says, “It’s time to rethink.”

That’s where I am right now.