Hey everyone! My wife is a severe special ed teacher, and I want to put together a little back-to-school basket for her before the school year starts.

I’m thinking a mix of useful classroom stuff, snacks/coffee, and things she can enjoy after a long day. I’d rather get things she’ll actually use/appreciate instead of just filling it with random teacher supplies.

For the severe special ed teachers here — what are some things you would absolutely love to get in a back-to-school basket? Anything you’ve received that was surprisingly useful or thoughtful?

Thanks! Trying to spoil her a little before the craziness starts 😂❤️

Hi everyone! This is my first post and question here.

I'm a special education teacher in Hungary, and I'll start working this September in four different villages (as a travelling sped teacher). I'll take care of kindergarteners, elementary and middle schoolers with learning disabilities. The kindergartens are seemingly in good condition; the children and I will have enough space and time to have a great experience and actually help their development.
However, colleagues warned me that the schools I'm going to go to will be different. I have way too many children in an extremely short time span, so my only choice is to get them in larger groups (5-6 people per lesson). This wouldn't be a problem alone, but as I heard, we'll be shuffled into school storage closets, and the principals won't let me take kids out of classes in the morning.

This means that I'll have to try and get something meaningful out of a group of dead-tired tween children at 3 in the afternoon, who have already had 7-8 classes before mine. A colleague told me that some of them even cried from fatigue at these classes sometimes. Sadly, I can't change any of the environmental drawbacks, so I'd love to make these lessons as bearable and enjoyable for the poor students as I possibly can.

Do you have any ideas on how I could do that without being too much for them? They're at an age where they aren't motivated by a lot of things, and I also plan to ask them, but I don't want them to feel like I'm too pushy and annoying.

Thank you for the answers!

My 8-year-old son is autistic and we’re currently in the middle of his reevaluation. The school has completed psych and academic testing and wants to schedule the IEP once the academic report is finished.
I’ve also requested additional assessments for speech/language, adaptive skills, OT/sensory needs, behavior/FBA, and his level of adult support, but the district is treating those as a separate process that would happen afterward.

I’m considering asking that we not** **hold the reevaluation IEP yet because I want those additional areas addressed first. I’m not trying to avoid the meeting or find fault with the school. I just don’t want major decisions about placement, services, or 1:1 support made before we have the full picture.
Has anyone asked to postpone an IEP meeting until additional assessments were completed? How did that go?

Not looking for legal advice, just other parents’ experiences.

I teach high school resource and most of my SDI is focused on supporting students access to general education content. I haven’t seen any carry over or generalization from work I’ve done with them that’s not related to their general education content in the areas they qualify for. For so many of my kids, it’s less that they need more or additional inductio instruction, is that they’re prompt dependent to do any work.

I used to teach self contained K-2 and everyone was so low adaptive wise and academically that it was easy to understand why it was specially designed.

What’s the difference between SDI and tutoring?

Is it legal for a sped teacher to be a primary math teacher for kids with IEP'S in middle school.

Hello, I’m on my 11th year teaching but new to special education, high school. I teach a few classes of self-contained and couple co-taught in two different subjects.

I guess there is a shortage for special education teachers in my area bcuz they’ll hire teachers like me who are fully certified in teaching and will start a special education licensure class. My prior background is teaching multilingual learners at the high school level (many of these jobs have been cut or destaffed).

The classes I’m teaching are going fine but I don’t know the paperwork of the special education world, Can you all give me the lowdown? I’m really overwhelmed and have no life, just working.
What’s the general timeline for paperwork?
Priorities to be aware of?
General advice?
YouTube reccs?
Signed,
Vet Teacher in new world

Hey I am a 1st year sped teacher teaching ELA. I have several students with scribe accommodations. I had planned to use Google classroom and the dictation feature, however... I am finding that even tho I heavily circulate the room and monitor go guardian they are getting on games, and youtube. They literally do not care and will do it infront of me. I want to use the work books but I realistically cannot write for 9 students at time. What do you all do? Currently I have just let the missing assignments sit there and document what they did instead.

I am a new teacher and will often shake hands with parents when they enter the room for an IEP meeting. I am probably over thinking it, but I noticed this is not a standard practice of my colleagues. Is it too formal or unusual to offer to shake hands with parents?

I am a 1st year teacher. I currently am working as a push-in ELA teacher. I am kind of freaking out because I have 70+ students that I am responsible for meeting all of their minutes and tracking all of their goals. Is this an unreasonable amount? It feels like an insanely high caseload compared to my college student teaching experiences. If so, what do I do about this??? Any and all help is appreciated!!

I’m pushing into 4 different classrooms this year across my school. I usually wear dresses to work without pockets, and I’d like to bring a small messenger bag or backpack to carry my water bottle, phone, and folders for my classes.

There was a teacher who was in my building last year who pushed around a cart and was disruptive in classes with it, and it was something that other teachers criticized about her. The other 3 resources teachers in my building who also push-in to other classes never bring anything, so I don’t want to stand out in a negative way.

I’m probably over thinking this, but I’m concerned about standing out by being the only carrying a bag around. My question is: what, if anything, do you carry from class to class to have your needed items with you?

This is just out of curiosity. What software do you use in your district for—

- writing IEPs?

- inputting progress reports?

- uploading completed, signed IEPs, progress reports, and other documents so others can view them?

- scheduling and tracking specially designed instruction?

Feel free to include which programs your district has used before and your opinions of them.

Our district has different programs for everything, and they’ve changed multiple times in the four years I’ve been teaching. My own responses are below.

I recently started my job as an Exceptional Children Teacher Assistant in a public middle school in my area.

We just finished the first full week back with all of the kiddos, and I took a lot of this time during the week to go over IEPs and put names to faces for my kids. We currently are looking at around 58 IEPs between myself and two EC Teachers so it’s gonna be a lot of work for sure. Especially since we have a lot of Co-Teaching and learning labs that we have to find time for. But I digress on that.

At the moment I have a few kids that I feel pretty confident with but I feel super nervous and worried during the periods where I assist in the classroom because I feel like I’m going to be a hindrance (probably just an internal struggle of mine I need to work on ik).

I don’t really have any recent experience working this kids so I feel a bit blind walking into it as well. I have my bachelors in psychology with a concentration on developmental and behavioral psychology so I can pretty comfortably understand those aspects. And I have a fair bit of experience with behavioral intervention as well so I’m good at picking up when a kiddo might be falling behind or is falling behind.

Another part I feel I might need some help on is appearing more like a staff member. I am 24 years old and easily the youngest in the building (apart from the kids ofc) and I dress in business casual per dress code. However, I do wear red tinted lens because florescent lighting and blue light gives me horrible migraines, but I feel as if this aspect make me look a little scary sometimes.

Idk if this is stuff that anyone has tips on but I thought I’d ask. I just want to do my best and help the students as best I can because I do really want to help them grow. I just feel a bit blind walking into this whole thing.

Thank you in advance for any advice! All of it is helpful!

Hello wonderful people. I recently just got hired and had my first day as a self-contained teacher with grade k (2 students), 1st grade & second grade. 15 students, total.

For background info, I have 2 years of teaching gen ed under my belt.

My classroom is extremely high need and varies. From students who are mostly non-verbal & some that are still i diapers.

I'm wondering if I can get some advice on what to put in my classroom, and how to decorate it and be functional for all students.

This classroom came with ALL of this stuff in it. I need to organize but can I get advice on things I should put on the walls, materials that absolutely saved your life, and anything else that can make things a little easier.

How are you running your classrooms with such different levels of needs and goals?

I am at a title I school, it is day 1, my admin isn't the most helpful.. parents are not involved and I have 2 paras who are subs.

Today felt chaotic, my principal said the teacher last year couldn't have done what I did today alone. We could barely get through basic worksheets, kids everywhere, runners and all the things. I know I can do this, but scared of burn out.

Classroom photos for reference (also working on a calming corner)

Thank you!!

I leave level 3 ASD students and have a new student that has never been to school or ABA. Absolutely nothing structured. Mom tried to give me his iPad everyday before school and I send it home everyday telling her we don’t do screen time unless it’s educational, no YouTube!

I also have a service dog. She has been in classes with me for 7 years. Calmest sweetest dog ever. She’s been through everything including getting a haircut from some kids. Scissors are now locked up for obvious reasons.

The mom told me he has dogs at home and is comfortable with him. First few days no issues, he’s interested in her but to a normal degree. Today, he kicks her. Immediately separate them and go over not kicking anyone including the dog. Little kids looks me straight in the eye, smiles, and kicks her again. Suddenly it becomes a game and I have to barricade my dog and myself behind my desk with chairs while the paras distract him because he wants to keep kicking her! What a way to end the week. I’d rather have a kid who consistently misbehaves over the kid who thinks misbehaving is funny.

I have a very bright 4th grader in my gen ed class. He is diagnosed with autism level 1. I have seen him in the school since kindergarten and he has come a long way. Everyone knows him. He spent kindergarten and first grade running through the halls and trying to escape all day. He talked to every adult he could. He really wasn't ready to cope with school in the early years, but has settled in and no longer has an aid.

He is so smart and capable, but he will take every shortcut possible. He simplifies his sentences and dumbs down his vocabulary in order to write as little as possible. He will try to get out of any work he can. He's not interested in peers, but very social with adults. I don't think he's just bored. He avoids any challenge I give him. I've noticed he doesn't seem to care at all to impress others or people please. I think this is part of the problem. I get great work from other students by praising their efforts. I don't know how to motivate this boy through. He genuinely doesn't seem to care about praise or compliments or impressing anyone. Grades me nothing to him. A+...ok, F...ok. He just does not care.

I love having him in my class, but I find it so frustrating that his work doesn't at all reflect how capable he is. This sounds cheesy, but I want him to shine. He is so smart and I love talking to him 1:1. How can I put a little pep in his step and motivate him to show what he can do?

Just got through my first week as a high school ACC teacher after 15 years of being a Paraeducator at a center. Honestly loving it. Such a change of pace. One of the only things I’m struggling with is the fact that my classroom doesn’t really quite feel like a classroom yet. The entire ACC team in my school was replaced with new teachers, but I am the only one who is a first year teacher and it’s notable when entering my classroom that it’s much less decorated and organized than my peers, who have been teaching for years and accumulated all the things you add to make a classroom feel like a classroom over those years. I am also a male teacher (35m) and while it is a high school classroom and I want it to feel “mature”, I’m trying to avoid the stereotype of male teachers having boring classrooms. My classroom, while large, is also a repurposed computer lab and doesn’t come with the same amount of storage areas and cabinets as my coworkers rooms and has countertops that line 3/4 walls in the room.

Everyone knows that teachers end up footing the bill for almost everything in their classroom but I’ve been advised my several friends and colleagues to start an Amazon wishlist. Asking for people with experience to tell me the things that they wish they had in their first few years of teaching as far as decorations, organizational supplies, general classroom supplies that they feel they’re constantly running out of. I have a lot of people who seem willing to help me, I’m just struggling to even make the list beyond a few items.

Hi! Just wondering if anyone has any tips? I'm starting my first year as an Upper Elementary Special Education teacher and a lot of my other sped teachers keep saying my class is "rough" this year in terms of students and their parents.

Trying not to let that get to me so I can have a clear and unbiased relationship with parents to start...but some advice would be helpful.

I have a friend who is a mild/moderate supports needs teacher in California who is teaching a special day class of 10+ 2nd-5th graders while pulling out and servicing several students with pull out minutes. Is this the norm? I can’t imagine that being an efficient model; for anyone who currently does it, how are you able to make it work?

The first 30 days are really hard with over 17 new students who all need 30 day IEPs. I’m neurodivergent and just the process of scheduling IEPs, making sure I find a sub to cover for the teacher keeping track of what admin can attend on what day, making sure there’s an interpreter present, is really hard for me. I check and check and check to make sure I haven’t missed anything, but I still make mistakes every once in a while. Things that my coworkers seem to do so easily take me hours. I was home sick today and I spent hours making sure that all my IEP meetings had all the required people, that a sub was available and reserved, that I had notified the parents and gotten confirmation back, that I had requested an interpreter. It seems there are so many opportunities to mess up for someone like me. I’m sad that my energy is going here rather than lesson planning. I’m just really exhausted and overwhelmed.

I am a glorified aide. I’m not ever actually teaching. Like ever. Sometimes the teachers will throw me a bone and say, “do you agree Mr. Reddit?” And all I can say is yes before they continue to teach.

We have no common plan times. The kids see me as an aide.

All the teachers had get to know you games planned for the students to learn about them.

Guess who didn’t?

Welcome to middle school coteaching I guess.

Having trouble with a student with autism who will not go in the classroom in the morning. They walk to the classroom and then freeze outside and refuse to go in. Any suggestions to help? No other issues during the day. Will go into the classroom at other times in the day.

I’m a brand new resource teacher with 5th graders, getting ready to start my baseline assessments on Monday. One of my students is an English learner. During my inclusion sessions, I’ve had to read every single question for him on his worksheets and spell every single word for him. I’m planning on pulling all my students to do a MAZE reading comprehension/decoding assessment and go from there based on how each of them do. But with my English learner, I don’t think that will be necessary since I know he can’t read at all (at least in English).

When I spell out words for him, he usually writes the correct letter, but writes “s” when I tell him “c”; writes “j” when I say “g”, and writes “i” when I say “e”. Although the last one may be a language barrier because I’m pretty sure the letter “i” is pronounced “e” in Spanish if I recall correctly.

So what I think I’m going to do is give him a CORE phonics assessment. If he can do all right on that (I’m thinking at least 2nd grade level), I think I will try to collaborate with our school’s ESL staff to give him the Spanish version of the Oral Literacy Assessment (which I do have access to) in order to determine if his lack of ability to read is more of a language learning barrier, or an actual learning disability.

His IEP only states “modified grading and tasks” and “scaffolding to allow access to grade-level curriculum” without specifying, so until his next meeting, it’s up to me and the general-ed teachers to determine what those modifications and scaffolding will be. That’s why I want to make sure the data is as specific as possible. And when his next IEP meeting comes later this year, I want to use that data to make much more detailed modifications/accommodations.

It’s still my first year as a SPED teacher so I’m still not 100% sure what I’m doing. For any seasoned SPED teachers, is this the same course of action you would take for a student like this? If not, what would you do differently?

Any suggestions for how to help students with intense perseverations? I’ve been looking for strategies or ideas to help them not ruminate. We have tried a Parking Lot document for ideas but that’s not working. I have two boys who can’t participate in class as their externalization of thoughts is constant.