The 3 AM Wake-Up Call That Sparked an Idea
Why I’m Building IEP Case Manager Assistant
It happened again last Tuesday. 3:17 AM. Heart racing. Wide awake with that familiar sinking feeling in my stomach.
“Did I send the meeting notice for Sarah’s IEP?”
I grabbed my phone, squinting against the brightness, scrolling through sent emails in a panic. Relief washed over me—I had sent it. This time.
But then my mind started cycling through the rest of my caseload: Did I request input for Marcus’s meeting next week? When is Aisha’s triennial due? Did I follow up with the speech therapist about her report?
I lay there for another hour, mentally running through my spreadsheet, trying to remember what I’d checked off and what was still hanging over my head. By the time my alarm went off at 6 AM, I was already exhausted.
This Isn’t Just Me
I’m the only special education teacher on my campus. Some days, it feels like I’m carrying an entire department on my back.
And I’ve learned I’m not alone. Over text threads and coffee dates with other special education teachers across multiple schools and districts, I’ve heard the same story—over and over again:
“I keep a notebook by my bed for what I remember at 2 AM.”
“I dream about missing compliance deadlines.”
“I love my students, but I can’t keep up with the paperwork anymore.”
It’s not a personal failure. It’s a system failure.
We’re not bad at our jobs—we’re doing an impossible job with inadequate tools.
The Spreadsheet That Broke Me
Here’s my “system”:
An Excel spreadsheet with one row for each student—and dozens of columns for dates, meetings, and notices.
A color-coded Google Calendar.
Sticky notes covering my monitor.
My brain keeping track of what none of it captures.
Last week, I spent an entire prep period just updating dates in that spreadsheet. That’s time I could have spent preparing for meetings, checking in on students, or collaborating with teachers. Instead, I was buried in cells and formulas—hoping I didn’t delete something important.
When “Did I Forget Something?” Becomes a Way of Life
For every student, there’s a never-ending cycle:
30 days before a meeting, send the notice.
2 weeks before, gather input.
1 week before, send the draft IEP.
3 days after, finalize paperwork.
And that’s just for one annual review. Multiply that by 17+ students, add triennials, amendments, and initials, and it’s no wonder so many of us lie awake at night wondering what we forgot.
The mental load isn’t sustainable—and the cost is high. When we’re buried in logistics, students lose timely support. Meetings are late, forgotten, or delayed.
The Moment Everything Changed
In reality, the turning point wasn’t a single crisis. It was realizing that in my consulting business, I have workflows and automations that free up brain space and allow me to focus on serving clients.
Why couldn’t I have that in my life as a special education case manager? Why couldn’t I free up my brain space to better serve my students instead of tracking dates, reminders, and deadlines manually?
That realization sparked the idea for IEP Case Manager Assistant.
Introducing IEP Case Manager Assistant
I started asking other special education teachers:
“What if there was a digital assistant that reminded you exactly when to send notices and prepare for meetings—without you having to track every date yourself?”
Every single person said the same thing: “Where do I sign up?”
IEP Case Manager Assistant isn’t available yet—but I’m gathering a waitlist of case managers who want to be first in line. Here’s what it will do:
Track IEP meeting prep timelines once a meeting is scheduled
Send reminders for all necessary tasks leading up to a meeting
It’s designed to take the mental load off case managers so they can focus on what really matters: students.
For Every Case Manager Who’s Ever Woken Up at 3 AM
This is for you.
For the teacher with sticky notes covering her monitor.
For the one who keeps a notebook by the bed.
For the one who can’t shut her brain off because she cares too much to drop a single ball.
You deserve better tools. Your students deserve you at your best—not your most exhausted.
Join Me on This Journey
If you want to help shape IEP Case Manager Assistant:
Follow @IEPCaseManagerAssistant on Facebook for updates and honest conversations about what it’s really like to do this work
Share this with a colleague who needs to know they’re not alone in the 3 AM wake-ups
Together, we’ll solve this. No more spreadsheets. No more sticky notes. No more wondering what you forgot.
Just you—doing the job you love, supported by a tool that finally understands it.
Because you didn’t become a case manager to be an administrator. You became one to change lives. Let’s get back to that.
About Abbey
Abbey is a special education case manager with 10+ years of experience across multiple states, educational settings, and districts. When she’s not building IEP Case Manager Assistant, she’s walking alongside families and IEP teams to make IEPs work—and occasionally sleeping through the night.
