Preparing for ESY
The hustle and bustle of preparing for the end of the school year can be overwhelming. Now, add in planning and prepping for the extended school year, and you just added another item to your to-do list. Preparing for the extended school year can be simple and easy...
ESY Tips and Tricks
First thing’s first, congrats on making it to the month of May! I can’t tell if this school year has gone in the blink of an eye or has taken all of eternity; regardless, take a moment to commend yourself for getting here. Being a teacher is hard and you deserve to...
Spring Prep
Let's Talk Spring Prep Who's team prep early? I am! I didn't used to be. In fact, when I taught general education, I didn't prep anything in the spring for the following school year. Now that I'm in Special Ed. I take every opportunity I can to get ready for the next...
How To Start A Learner With An Object Schedule
Object schedules don’t have to be fancy! When creating them, I often need to remind myself to stop overthinking. When I started using object schedules, I tried to find objects that matched the area of the classroom exactly. After failing to find enough objects for a...
Ways to Color Code
I am so excited to talk about ways to color code in a special education/autism classroom! This is a topic I am super passionate about because I know how well it works. This super amazing visual aid is supportive of not only the students in my classroom but the...
Maternity Leave Twice in One Year!
I had my first son in April of 2021 – he is now a wild, almost 11-month-old, crawling, and constantly climbing on everything! But, surprise, this week I will be having my second son – yes, you read that right! This means that I have become quite the expert on where to...
Using a Traveling Schedule
Today I want to share one of the most important tools that I implement within my classroom, the traveling visual schedule. This manilla folder is a one stop shop to student success. With an individualized schedule on the front and token economy board on the back, your...
How To Create a “Leave” Binder
Leaving the classroom with a substitute teacher can be stressful. Being sure that all necessary materials are there as well as an easy-to-read plan for the day are crucial. I rely heavily on my team when I am gone and I know they take charge when they need to....
My Top 5 Sped Classroom Items
I’m so excited to talk about my top 5 sped classroom items! These are items I have discovered over my years in self-contained that are necessary and just make my classroom run more like a well-oiled machine. Follow along as I share what my favorite classroom items...
How to Set Up and Implement Your Independent Workbox System
If you have been following along with my blog posts, you know that I just love organization. Ok, love might not be a strong enough word…I AM OBSESSED with being organized. Everything needs a system to be able to run smoothly, especially in our classrooms. Follow...
Data Collection Takes a Team
How Do Paraprofessionals Take Data It has been a challenging year for most of us – but now, more than ever, we all understand the important role paraprofessionals play in our classrooms. From helping our students with their daily hygiene tasks in the morning to...
Focus on Five: Math Activities During Small Groups
Teaching students how to do different activities and tasks during small group instruction is essential for being able to have uninterrupted, direct instruction with all students. I taught students the activities they would be working on during reading small group...
Modify on the Fly – Tips for Modifying Without Preparation
I would like to begin this post by stating the obvious; teachers are superheroes. We take on more than anyone outside of education can even attempt to understand, and we do a lot of it with little to no preparation. The reality of being a special education teacher and...
Focus on Five: Mentoring a Student Teacher
While a career in teaching can be challenging, I have found that mentoring a student teacher is great for remembering why I am so passionate about being an educator. Having the opportunity to talk to another person who is excited to start teaching energizes my...
The Dos and Don’ts of Independent Work
Two weeks ago, I shared with readers some simple ways to keep your classroom running when you’re short staffed. This week we are talking all about independent work! Not only are independent work blocks an easy way to help students work on skills like organization,...
Dollar Tree Must-Haves: Workbox Edition
It’s no secret that many of us use our own hard-earned money to purchase items for our classrooms. Whether you are purchasing items to stay organized in the classroom, reinforcers, sensory items, classroom supplies, workbox items, etc., the bill can add up quickly. ...
Keeping Your Classroom Going When You’re a Man Down
Help! Your Classroom is a Man Down! I’m sure we’d all love to say that classrooms have become short-staffed solely because of COVID-19, but let’s be real, classrooms were short-staffed long before the pandemic. Now, let’s add the impact of a pandemic – and well,...
Focus on Five: Reading Small Groups
Small group instruction is essential to our students with diverse learning needs, especially when teaching a fundamental academic and life skill such as reading. It is important to group students in a way that is beneficial to each group member, use a consistent...
Morning Group Structure with TAH Resources
I love structure and routine and my morning group would not defer from that. Not only do structure and routines help our students, but the adults benefit from it too. One area of the day that needs to have structure, routine, and clear expectations is the morning...
How to Navigate Emergency Drills
Let's talk about how to successfully navigate emergency drills with your special education students! I am not sure if there are any special education teachers and support staff who look forward to emergency drills. Anyone? I didn't think so. Emergency drills...