Paula Shepherd talks with Dr. Amy Matthews Perez about her 34-year career in public education, her retirement, and why she launched MESA, which stands for making education special for all. The conversation centers on special education, relationship-building, and how parents, educators, and administrators can work together more effectively around the table.

Dr. Amy brings deep experience as a classroom teacher, speech pathologist, diagnostician, special education coordinator, assistant principal, principal, director of special education, and director of special programs. She shares a practical, people-first approach to reducing conflict and creating progress in IEP and ARD meetings.

Connect with Dr. Amy via email at dramymp@gmail.com or dramyperez.com/
Link to read her article - “Power Poker” at IEP Meetings

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00:00 - Welcome to the episode and why Dr. Amy’s work matters

02:24 - Dr. Amy’s fifth-grade calling

06:41 - The hidden workload of parenting an adult child with special abilities

08:55 - Reframing “special” versus “special education”

10:04 - What “making education special for all” really means

11:24 - Why later is expensive in special education

14:09 - Why vulnerability matters in IEP and ARD meetings

20:26 - The need to set ego aside