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What to Do During Your First Month as an Inclusion Teacher
dhe first month as an inclusion teacher can feel a little like being dropped into a moving car and being told, “Okay, drive!” You’re learning students’ names, figuring out schedules, attending meetings, navigating different classrooms, trying to understand IEPs, and attempting to remember where you put the pencil sharpener you bought three days ago. And somewhere in there, you’re also supposed to actually teach. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re not doing anything wrong. The first month is less about having everything perfectly organized and more about learning your students, building relationships, and figuring out what systems you actually need. You do not need to have everything figured out by the…
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7 Classroom Systems Every Middle School Special Education Teacher Should Set Up Before Labor Day
If you’re a middle school special education teacher, you already know that the beginning of the school year comes with approximately 47 million things to organize. Schedules. IEPs. Accommodations. Progress monitoring. Parent communication. Missing assignments. Behavior data. Emails. Meetings. And somehow, you’re also supposed to teach. The good news? You don’t need a complicated organizational system to survive the school year. You just need a few simple, repeatable systems that tell you where things go and what needs to happen next. Before Labor Day, take some time to set up these seven classroom systems. Your October self will be very grateful. 1. Create a Missing Work System Missing work is…
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Your First Week Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect
If you’ve spent any time on teacher Instagram lately, you’ve probably seen classrooms that look like they belong in a magazine. Every bulletin board is perfect. Every lesson is color-coded. Every desk is labeled. Every supply has a matching basket. It’s exhausting. Meanwhile, you’re standing in your classroom wondering why your copier jammed five minutes before students arrived and where you put your coffee. Welcome back to school. Here’s the truth that every veteran teacher knows but somehow forgets every August: your first week does not have to be perfect. In fact, it probably won’t be, and that’s completely okay. Especially if you’re a special education teacher, the first week…
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Progress Monitoring Made Simple: Systems That Actually Work
Let’s be honest. Progress monitoring sounds simple in theory… until you’re staring at 17 IEP goals, three different curriculums, and a stack of sticky notes that were supposed to become data. If you’ve ever thought: “I’ll enter it later.” “I swear I took data somewhere.” “Is this even meaningful?” You’re not alone. The good news? Progress monitoring does not have to take over your life. You just need a system that works with your schedule, not against it. Let’s simplify this. First: What Progress Monitoring Is (And What It Isn’t) Progress monitoring is simply collecting consistent data to determine whether a student is making progress toward their IEP goals. That’s…
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How to Prepare for an IEP Meeting Without Stress
Let’s be honest: IEP meetings can feel like one of the most stressful parts of teaching. There’s paperwork. Data. Scheduling. More paperwork. And the quiet fear that someone will ask you a very specific question and your brain will immediately forget everything you’ve ever known. But here’s the truth, IEP meetings don’t have to be stressful. When you have a simple system in place, you can walk into the meeting feeling calm, confident, and fully prepared… instead of internally panicking while pretending to shuffle papers with purpose. Here’s exactly how to prepare for an IEP meeting without stress (or at least without unnecessary stress). Why Preparation Matters (Yes, It’s Worth…
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The Secret Sauce: How to Create a Positive Vibe in Your Inclusion Class
(Hint: It’s way more than just lesson plans!) If you’re co-teaching an inclusion class, you know the drill. You spend hours meticulously co-planning, differentiating, and modifying, but sometimes, the vibe just isn’t right. The truth is, even the most perfect lesson plan can fall flat if the classroom culture is lukewarm. For our students—especially those navigating learning differences—culture is the oxygen. When they feel safe, seen, and valued, the math clicks and the writing flows. So, ditch the dry manual! Here’s a super practical, fun-focused guide to building a vibrant, positive culture in your ELA and Math inclusion classroom. Part 1: The Foundation—Setting Up for Success Your first step is…
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5 Must-Have Organizational Tools for a Co-Taught Classroom (And How to Use Them!)
Co-teaching is a rewarding but often complex dance. With two teachers, two teaching styles, and double the materials, organization is the bedrock of a successful co-taught classroom. When you and your partner teacher have a shared system, you spend less time searching and more time teaching. Here are five essential organizational tools that will help you and your co-teacher streamline your shared space, materials, and lesson plans, along with practical tips on how to put them to work! 1. Rolling Storage Cart with 10 Large Drawers A Rolling Storage Cart with Drawers and a Wooden TableTop is the ultimate mobile command center. Its utility can’t be overstated in a shared…
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Easy Wins: Start the Year with These Tools
Back-to-school season: that magical time when your classroom smells like Clorox wipes, your email inbox is giving anxiety in 4K, and you’re just trying to remember how to function before 10 a.m. without iced coffee and a morning nap. Let’s be real… no one is looking to reinvent the wheel in August. You need easy wins. Tools that actually work. Things that help you survive (and dare I say thrive?) in those first few chaotic weeks. Whether you’re wrangling eighth graders like me, navigating IEPs, or just trying to remember your computer password, I got you. Here are my go-to tools to start the school year strong — with your…
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Summer Self-Care Ideas for Special Education Teachers
Summer Self-Care Ideas for Special Education Teachers Special education teachers—you made it! After months of juggling IEPs, differentiating lessons, managing behaviors, collaborating with teams, and supporting your students in a hundred different ways… summer is finally here. But here’s the thing: just because school is out doesn’t mean the stress magically disappears. A lot of us carry the emotional weight of the year into our summers. That’s why this time is more than just a vacation—it’s a time to reset so that you can be your best self come the new school year. Here are realistic, meaningful summer self-care ideas specifically for special education teachers (because bubble baths and green…
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Strategies for Differentiating Instruction in Inclusive Classes
Inclusive classrooms are places where all students with different learning styles and abilities are given access to an education. As an inclusion teacher, it is your job to ensure that all students, regardless of their background or ability, have access to meaningful learning opportunities. Differentiating instruction isn’t just a helpful strategy—it’s the cornerstone of success in an inclusive setting. Here are practical, effective strategies to help you differentiate instruction and support all learners in your classroom: 1. Know Your Learners Start with a deep understanding of each student’s strengths, challenges, interests, and learning preferences. Use tools like: Interest inventories Learning style surveys IEPs and 504 plans Ongoing formative assessments The…
