As the kids returned to school this year, something felt different. I didn’t quite realise what it was until they were out of the house and I caught myself feeling… relaxed.
Not the performative “I’ve got this” kind of calm that sometimes masks chaos. But a real, grounded sense of ease and it surprised me.
In the lead-up to Term 1, I wasn’t setting up meetings or madly scribbling notes. I wasn’t prepping long explanations about devices, support needs, or how to manage assistive tech in the classroom. I noticed I wasn’t carrying the usual buzz of anxiety that often comes with the start of the school year.
That’s not to say everything was perfect (we still had tech hiccups like a flat Roger battery on day two, and some fiddly connection issues with morning lines). But I didn’t feel that old, familiar pressure to info-dump everything I know onto the teachers in Week 1.
Part of the shift comes down to where we’re at in our journey as my kids are older now. They’re more confident in their ability to speak up and self-advocate when something isn’t working. They’ve grown into their identities and have the tools to navigate conversations with teachers and that alone is huge.
But there’s something else I think has made an even bigger difference: the quiet, steady presence of a small cohort of deaf and hard of hearing students at our school.
Over the past few years, more deaf kids have enrolled and with them has come a ripple effect. Teacher knowledge, deaf awareness and comfort with the tech have started spreading organically. Understanding is no longer held by just one teacher, year level or support team. It’s gently threaded through the staff and leadership.
This year, both of my kids have classroom teachers who are technically new to them, but were part of their year-level teams last year. That continuity matters. These teachers have seen the devices in action. They’ve watched the Communication Support Assistants (CSAs) make lessons accessible. They’ve had conversations with the Hearing Support Team and know what to look out for.
We still rely on the brilliant Teachers of the Deaf and CSAs who step into the school each week and make the invisible visible. But what’s changed is that the classroom teachers are no longer starting from scratch. They’re asking the right questions. They’re paying attention. They’re making adjustments in real time. They’re confident, capable, and calm and that has ripple effects for everyone.
As a deaf parent and a parent of deaf children, that’s deeply reassuring.
So if you’ve just sent your child off to school for the first time, or maybe it’s not the first time but it still feels shaky and uncertain, I want to gently say: I’ve been where you are.
I know what it’s like to spend the day before school starts wondering if you’ve forgotten something vital. I know the weight of wanting to make sure your child is understood, included and supported – and the pressure to pour everything you know into the teacher on Day 1.
I can’t promise that the worry will disappear overnight. But I can say this: with each year, things begin to shift. Your child grows. Your confidence grows. And if we’re lucky, the people around us grow too.
So hold onto that hope and know you’re doing beautifully. The path gets smoother, one step at a time.
I’d love to hear how the school year is feeling for your family. Come chat with me on Instagram, or feel free to share this post with someone who might need a little reassurance this week.