Why? Why am I writing to the school? What am I trying to accomplish?
What? What do I want? What are my goals?
When you write letters to the school, you want to express concerns and educate your reader about your child’s problems. When you write a letter, be guided by your purpose.
You want your letters to create a good first impression. These 12 Rules for writing great letters will help you accomplish your objectives.
- Before you write a letter, ask “Why?” and “What?”.
- Your first letter is always a draft.
- Allow for “cooling off” and revision time.
- You negotiate with the school for special education services.
- Never threaten. Never telegraph your punches!
- Make several (unpleasant but necessary) assumptions.
- Make your problem unique.
- You ARE writing letters to a Stranger who has the power to resolve the problem. (You are NOT writing letters to the school alone.)
- Write letters to the school as business letters.
- NEVER make judgments.
- Write your letter chronologically.
- Write letters that are clear and easy to understand.
We’ve briefly listed the 12 rules here. Find out much more about How to Write Great Letters . Get the details on all 12 rules – plus other tips for effective letter writing.
https://www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/12rules_letters.htm
If you have concerns about your child’s special education program, you must express these concerns in writing. Get into the habit of writing letters after meetings, conversations and events. Writing letters will help you accomplish your objectives.
