You know the moment: it's 3:58 p.m., you're ready with the snack, the teacher's email said "Great day! 😊" and then your kid walks in like someone unplugged them. Homework that would have been easy at 10:30 a.m. turns into tears, shutdown, or "I'm stupid!" And then you open your phone to write the email… and you delete it twelve times because you don't want to sound dramatic, blaming, or like "that parent." In this episode, Dr. Amy Patenaude gives you calm, confident language that bridges the home and school gap without writing a novel. You'll get a simple structure that makes it easy for schools to respond, a 10-school-day trial approach that turns this into a small data experiment, and follow-up scripts for when you hit day three with no reply.

• Why "we don't see that here" is often a staffing-and-systems problem, not a denial of your reality
• What to stop doing because it backfires: the novel, the diagnosis email, the blame vibe, the vague cry for help, and the apology sandwich
• The email structure that gets answered: Pattern, Impact, One Ask, 10-school-day trial (plus the 6-sentence rule)
• How to make your request easy to say yes to, including "If that's not feasible, what's the closest equivalent you can do?"
• Specific asks schools can often do right away: chunking, reduced copying or typed responses, start prompts, movement breaks, transition jobs, brief reset and re-entry
• What to email next at day three, what to do at day ten, and when to loop in support staff to coordinate
• A quick School Translator Minute: turning home patterns and impact into school-usable data and a clear timeline

• Write your email using Pattern → Impact → One Ask → 10-school-day trial, and stop.
• Put your ask in the subject line.
• Use 2–3 bullets instead of paragraphs.
• Add a time-bound option: "Could we connect by Friday?"
• Save your scripts as a Note titled: "School email: Rest stop."

Pick one. One is enough.

• School Psych in Your Back Pocket: The School Testing Toolkit (K–12)
• Big Feeling Decoder
• Boredom Buster Guide
• 50 AI Prompts for Tired Parents

"This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical, psychological, or legal advice. Listening to this podcast does not create a provider-client relationship. If you're concerned about your child's mental health, safety, or development, please consult a qualified professional in your area."