One of hardest things to do when it comes to instruction in the classroom is finding a curriculum that meets the needs of all our levels of learners. We know that in one classroom we can gave students on 5+ levels of Reading or Math and scattered...

Special Education Teacher. 3 words that are filled with so much responsibility. A role that is constantly changing and pushing teachers to test the limits; physically, emotionally, and mentally. The role of a Special Education Teacher seems to...

We are always in need of good websites as teachers, more so as special education teachers. Here are a few that I like. Some of them do require subscription and some are free. If you know of any more please share with us so we can add to the list!...

Some of our students are not able to travel to job sites daily to work on certain skills. There are many soft and hard skills they can work on in class while they start and continue through their vocational training. Workboxes are a good way to...

Keep in mind the purpose of this part of the IEP is to give a full picture of the student. If someone who does not know your student picked up this document, they should be able to get a clear understanding of the student. Information to be...

Similar to taking our students into the community to learn how to navigate their environment, our students also need to learn how to work in the setting they will be working in. Our students may have difficulty generalizing skills so this is the...

As Special Educators we know how important it is for our students to learn certain skills in the environment they will be making use of them. Expecting our students to generalize certain skills isn’t fair. Here are a few ideas of community sites...

As Special Education Teachers (regardless of what grade level or subject we teach), one of the biggest responsibilities we have is modifying lesson plans for Special Education students. It is up to us to be able to have a firm understanding of the...

Writing lesson plans can be a daunting task. When we go through graduate school, we learn many ways (some of them way too long) to write appropriate lesson plans for all levels of learners. There’s not only one way to write a lesson plan. Here’s a...

(please keep in mind that certain parts of the IEP differ depending on the state) Writing an IEP can be a daunting task, even for veteran teachers. Here is an  IEP Meeting Checklist and tips to drafting an IEP for your students. The checklist...

They teach us about collecting data and documentation in our graduate courses, but they don’t prepare us for how much data we need and what exactly needs to be documented. The answer is, EVERYTHING. In our profession, everything needs to be...

I stood and looked around my classroom at the aftermath around my Life Skills Special Education classroom. There was a handful of my hair on the ground. My hands were full of old and new scratches, fresh from that morning. I touched my stomach,...

The other day I was asked a question by a new teacher. She was being expected to allow students who were coming back early from another class to sit with her during her planning period. It was something the students had done before she started...

In an earlier post I wrote about stress and not letting what you can’t control overwhelm you. As a new school year is starting and I am already hearing how completely overwhelmed many of you are, I feel like I need to write this to remind you all...

My first years of teaching I spent HOURS AND HOURS looking up lesson plans for teaching functional life skills, making materials, looking for special education lesson plan templates, adapted materials that were age appropriate, & so much more....

The first year is always the hardest. You’re getting used to new routines, new procedures, how to work with and deal with other adults, and how to be responsible for molding and guiding your students. Here are a few things to keep in mind.  ...

There are a lot of things that you can attribute to a successful classroom; your instruction, relationship with students, your ability to manage the classroom and difficult behaviors, and so much more. Of all the classrooms I have taught in, one of...

I know this is probably a controversial statement, but hear me out. Academics are of course important and should always be the driving force behind what we do in the classroom, BUT teaching life skills is what will essentially lead to independence...