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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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June 2025 Book Reviews
derI didn’t read as much this month as I have in the past. Having a baby has hurt my reading time more than I expected. (All parents out there are probably laughing at my naivety) Onyx Storm by: Rebecca Yarros I gave this book five stars! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ This book is the third book in the series, I really liked the first book in the series but the second book I didn’t love. But Onxy Storm really made up for the lackluster response I had to book two. I am going to give a short summary and be carefeul not to give away any spoilers from books…
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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…
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Using Assistive Technology to Support Your Students
As teachers, we know that every classroom is full of unique learners with diverse strengths, needs, and ways of understanding the world. Assistive technology (AT) is a game-changer in helping us create lessons that support all students—especially those with learning differences or disabilities. When thoughtfully integrated into daily teaching, AT can unlock potential, boost independence, and make learning more accessible and engaging. What is Assistive Technology? Assistive technology includes tools and devices designed to help students overcome challenges related to reading, writing, communication, mobility, and more. In the K-12 setting, AT might be as simple as using audiobooks or graphic organizers, or as advanced as speech-to-text software, screen readers, or…
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Co-Teaching Models to Use in Inclusion Settings
I have been co-teaching for over 10 years now, and I have tried many different co-teaching models with several different colleagues. Here are some of the most common co-teaching models, what they are, and why they work (and sometimes don’t). One Teach – One Assist What it looks like: This is the most common co-teaching model that I see in practice in my experience. Typically you see the general education, or content teacher, standing in front of the class providing instruction as they would in their non-inclusion sections, and the special education teacher is circulating the room providing assistance to the students who need it. Benefits: This is a great…
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Accommodations to Support Reading Comprehension
Many of the students on my caseload have goals in reading comprehension. When a student gets to eighth grade and still is below grade level in reading comprehension, it feels super overwhelming to try to keep them progressing with their academics because reading comprehension is one area that affects them in every class. When you think of reading comprehension, you think of ELA; but think of all the reading that is required in social studies and science. Even being able to comprehend word problems in math class. Reading Comprehension is a skill that follows students into all of their classes. Here are some accommodations and modification ideas for you to…
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Setting Up Data Binders
Every year I struggle with the best way to track IEP data. With everything trending to digital, recently I have been trying to find ways to do this digitally, but I find that I prefer do things by hand. I also find that I am more consistent when something paper and pencil. So no matter how fancy and techy I try to be, every year I fall back to my tried and true data binders. Here is how I set them up: For each student I use a 1″ white binder. I buy them in 4 packs on Amazon. I use dry erase marker to write the students’ initials on…
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Three Tips to Prep Your Caseload
I am fortunate enough that I leave for the summer with a tentative caseload for the following year. Obviously, kids move in and out over the summer, or parents request specific teams, but I usually know what to expect. This gives me the ability to do some preparations over the summer to get ready. The stipulation is, I only do as much work as I am in the mood for that day. Most days I do very little, but occasionally I will want to get a head start and I will invest a couple hours. Many teachers don’t like to do work for school over the summer because that is…
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Tips for Tracking Data
Tracking data is one of the things that I have struggled the most with. I have tried digital tracking methods, Google Forms, keeping massive work sample binders, just notes, word documents with information, and each method has had its pros and cons. This year I have finally settled into a method that I think is sustainable for me. Here is what I have learned through this journey: Track often The worst feeling is when you realize that you’re approaching progress notes and your data is not neatly tracked. I hate having to sort through and track word samples at the end of the term because I have let it pile…
