As a student's special education teacher or program manager, it is your job to make sure that an IEP is being followed.  Part of that is ensuring that teachers and staff working with your students are informed about certain applicable aspects of their IEPs.  An IEP is a confidential legal document so there are many things to think about when sharing information. ...

It is really important for teachers to include books that provide mirrors (books where students can really identify with the characters) and windows (books where the students can see into the lives of those that are different from them).  A book that may be a mirror for some, may be a window for others. Books that include characters with disabilities and illnesses are so important to include in our classroom and home libraries.  They provide windows AND mirrors, often at the same time, for ourselves and our children.  Through the magic of reading, our students can learn about others and be more accepting and inclusive. ...

I recently got an email from a newly graduated teacher headed towards the first classroom of her very own.  She wanted to know what were some must-haves for her special education classroom.  I tried to think of some of my favorite items and some less-obvious things.  I came up with 17 things that made my classroom life easier and better. If you're not a special education teacher, that is okay!  Most of the things on this list will apply to you and your classroom too! ...

As a parent, heading into an IEP meeting is overwhelming.  Even well-seasoned parents of children with special needs get nervous before walking into a meeting where the sole purpose is to dissect what their child can and cannot do.  There are some things that special education teachers can do for parents to elevate some of the anxiety that comes with attending IEP meetings. ...

It seems that as soon as spring hits, teachers start fantasizing about what their classroom will be like in the fall.  We start thinking of all of the ways to improve what we have been doing this year.  We say things like, "Next year, I will always have my attendance in on time" or "I'm going to be so much more organized next year."  You may already know your teaching assignment for next year.  You may be getting excited for a new classroom configuration you want to try out or a whole new grade level you've never taught before.  But, my tired teacher friend, I urge you to slow down and remain present in THIS year. ...

It is a known fact that teachers have stressful jobs.  Many times, we do not know how stressed we are until we get totally overwhelmed.  Depending on your school environment, you may feel overwhelmed more often than not.  The following are some ways to remain positive and calm when feeling overwhelmed at school. ...

As teachers, one of our greatest resources can be the parents of the students we work with.  It takes time and effort to foster strong relationships with parents, but it is often more than worth it in the end. I've worked with parents that are ready to jump right in and become a partner right away and others that needed more coaxing.  There are several things you can do to create a welcoming environment that produces parent allies or even parent partners. ...

If your students are anything like mine, they don't mind writing until we get to the revising and editing part.  So many times, once they get their ideas on paper, they think they are done.  Just like everything else, the more you practice a skill, they better you get!  Here are some tips on how to improve editing in your classroom. Change Their Mindset A lot of students are reluctant to revise and edit their work because they feel like they are having to go back to "fix mistakes".  Instead of thinking of editing as righting all of the wrongs, it is important to make it clear that revising and editing turn good writing pieces into  great  writing pieces.  Something I need to continue to work on is changing my own language from "let's fix our writing pieces" to "let's make our writing pieces better". ...

Special Education teachers are the masters of data collection!  At times, collecting data can be overwhelming, especially when you sometimes have to outsource the collecting to other teachers, specialists, or teaching assistants. Tracking accommodations is necessary to make sure an IEP is being followed and can be helpful in determining which accommodations should be added to or removed from the IEP.  Believe it or not, collecting data on accommodations and modifications does not have to consume your life! ...

Special education teachers are no strangers to the revolving door of students coming and going to various services.  It can be overwhelming and distracting but my team put together some procedures that made the transitions a few years ago that made a huge difference. ...

It is back to school season again!  Special education teachers around the country will have a stack of IEPs in front of them with various dates and loads of information to process and remember.   Don't get overwhelmed.  Get organized! ...

For a general education teacher that has never attended a formal special education meeting, it can be very intimidating.  Here are a few things you can do to make sure you are prepared before you attend.   ...

We have all had those meetings that we dread.  The ones that keep us up a night for days leading up to it.  The ones that make your stomach hurt and your head ache.  Whether it is a meeting with a parent, an administrator, or an IEP team, you can survive and here is how.   ...

My daughter's last day of school is next week and I wanted to throw together a little something for her two teachers.  This time of year is super busy for everybody so I wanted to make it as simple as possible! ...

Co-Teaching can be one of the most rewarding, yet challenging experiences.  The co-teaching partnership is kind of like a marriage and usually it's an arranged one!  Often, two teachers are partnered up without knowing much about each other.  Administrators dealing with staffing issues may not be able to look at teaching styles and personalities before pairing teachers up. Here are some tips on how to make your co-teaching relationship a successful one! ...

As a special education teacher, I have to collaborate with several adults throughout my day such as related service providers, general education teachers, parents, administration, special area team members, etc.  Through being a self-contained teacher, a push-in provider, and a co-teacher, collaborating with other adults is one thing that does not change.  With each new position, I have had the privilege of working with great teams of paraprofessionals. Working with paraprofessionals in your classroom can be challenging but when done correctly, everybody benefits - especially your students.  It takes a lot of effort to make your classroom team work together collaboratively.  Here are some important things to remember that I have learned along the way: ...

I love December.  I love the smell when you first turn the heat on in your house.  I love the first snow fall, but not as much as I love snow days.  I love Christmas.  I love baking cookies.  I love eating cookies.    A bunch of my friends from Classroom Tested Resources have joined together to share our favorite cookie recipes that you're going to want to try this holiday season! ...

We are headed into parent conference season and that always is a little extra hard on teachers.  Conferences can take up a lot of time and energy!  But, have you tried student-led conferences?  There are so many ways to implement them in your classroom but I can assure you, that if you do, you will LOVE them! We all know that when students take ownership of their learning, they are more likely to put forth more effort in their daily performance.  You can read more about having your students set and track their own goals in this  blog post .   ...

How many of you have weekly meetings with your team?  I know it is best practice, but it is soooo hard to stick to a consistent schedule, especially when my inclusion team involves 3 general education teachers, 4 paraprofessionals, and myself.  And that is not even including the special area folks and related services providers.   When you have several adults working with the same group of students, it is vital for everybody to be on the same page.  It is especially important to keep the paraprofessionals in the classroom up to speed on student progress and your expectations for continued growth, both academically and behaviorally.   Over the years, I have learned a few things about successful and, more importantly, productive team meetings and I am hoping  to put them into practice before I go on maternity leave in October.  That way, my team can easily continue our schedule.    ...

Last year was my first year teaching Read180 in a few years.  I love Read180 and what I have seen it do for my kiddos so I was excited to get a chance to implement it again.  But...the book projects included with the program are B-O-R-I-N-G!  Sure, some of them are pretty good, but the directions can be questionable and I find myself using the same two projects over and over with my class.   My students started to get frustrated (beyond frustrated) with the repetition so I promised them that one of my summer tasks would be to create new book projects, just for them.   I mean, who doesn't just LOVE working on school stuff during summer break?  You know we all do it! These book project ideas are a break from the traditional book report and can be used with any book! ...