I wrote my last post- My Daughter’s IEP meeting- right after we got home from the meeting. I didn’t get to share many of the details and reasons why it couldn’t have gone better.Partly I think because I hadn’t given myself enough time to process it all. For many years IEP meetings for my daughter would make me feel nervous ill at ease and on the defensive. Like a threatened mama bear trying to protect her cub.  I am not just any mama bear I’ve been to this rodeo before, heck I grew up at the rodeo that is special education. I am of the first generation of students who had special education in school that resembles what it is like today. Not in just one state mind you. My dad was in the military and over the course of my childhood we lived in 10 states and another country. From kindergarten to graduation I was educated in 7 of those places but more that 7 different schools by the time I was in 6th grade like my daughter it was elementary school for me not middle school like for my daughter I had 13 different teachers not including special education teachers and electives teachers.Back to my daughters IEP meeting. We were greeted by the receptionist in the office and shortly after by Mr. L. my daughter’s sped teacher/case manager and other important people who needed to be there also arrived.My daughter had been called to come to the office for the meeting.She arrived to join the meeting  and I handed out the letter that my daughter and I wrote together( that was the subject of a previous blog post) and read it out loud.The only way I know how to describe how it went was that it was very well received-dare I say I think they were surprised and impressed by the letter. Mr. L. asked my daughter if he could use her letter( with out her name) as an example to his other students on how to self advocate.My daughter’s smile filled the room as she nodded in response.My heart was full with pride.That’s our girl- she is so awesome I thought really loud trying not to saying anything. I’m her mother I am naturally biased as I should be.  I was so proud to be at that meeting for her and with her. Most everything in her IEP will remain the same until she is re evaluated.Some accommodations were suggested to be changed. Our daughter explained why those accommodations worked for her and needed to stay a part of her IEP. Her father and I also gave our reasons that supported hers. My daughter’s sped teacher Mr. L. couldn’t be a better choice of a special education teacher for our daughter.  That’s not to say she hasn’t had good special education teachers in the past, she has. The best ones though are the ones that she hasn’t felt the need  to explain her self to and how she learns differently. Where she doesn’t have to teach them about the way that she processes and learns. It would be common to think that if some one is a special education teacher of course they must have the knowledge and education to understand. That is not always the case it hasn’t been for my daughter and it wasn’t for me and isn’t for many students unfortunately. She hasn’t had to with Mr. L. and she trusts him and that is huge for her and our whole family. I left the meeting feeling proud of our daughter and at ease content even. Honestly how well the meeting went is still sinking in. Our daughters 6th grade year is almost over and I have to say it has for the most part has gone well with a few minor hiccups (so far) and many happy surprises as well.