Adapted high-quality curriculum to help special education students succeed in the classroom
I’ve had a few people ask me how I made my You Are Loved banner, and it’s actually pretty easy! Here’s how I made mine: 1.) Cut butcher paper to size. (I had to double-layer my paper since I was covering a window) 2.) Type your message in Power Point (or similar program). I wanted big letters, so I had… Read More
Although I hate admitting it, I’m not an innately organized teacher. However, in my 4 years as a special educator, I have definitely learned some tricks of the trade. 1. Data Clipboards I have my clipboards hanging from command hooks on two of my cabinet doors. This grab-and-go method is convenient and organized, making it easy for teachers and paraprofessionals… Read More
Is it weird that I want to ask for nothing but TPT gift cards for Christmas? Last year I bought a laminator with my Christmas money, so I guess it’s not that weird. There are just SO MANY good things on Teachers Pay Teachers! As a teacher in a self-contained SPED classroom, it can be challenging to find appropriate grade-level… Read More
Establishing a good parent-teacher communication system is one of the most important things you can do at the beginning of the year. To get better insight from a parent’s perspective, I decided to ask one of my former student’s parents what she liked in terms of teacher communication. While this parent enjoyed the daily logs that we sent home describing… Read More
The first few weeks in the classroom can be tough. You’re given the room and the caseload, but not much else. There’s grade level curriculum to be adapted, but before you can even start that, you’ve got weeks of assessments and data collection ahead of you. Here are a few ideas to help you survive the first two weeks of… Read More
I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: Visual schedules changed my life. Here are five scheduling tips I wish I would have known before implementing schedules in my classroom. 1.) Color Code This year, I will be assigning each student a color. Their schedules, PECS, binders, work boxes, and cover sheets will all be represented by the student’s… Read More