Mrs. D's Corner

teaching from the heart, not the books.

how to quiet the teacher guilt voice

Quick Tips to Hush Teacher Guilt on Weekends

Weekend teacher guilt – we have all felt it. It’s that nagging sense that papers must be graded, reports should be written, and lessons need to be planned. It can turn a perfectly beautiful, fun weekend into one that’s filled with stress and anxiety. Hushing the teacher guilt on weekends is not only a good idea, but it’s also vital for your mental well-being and family relationships. Leaving work for the workweek sounds like it should be easy to do, but every teacher knows that’s not the case. So how do you quiet that guilt and relax? We asked veteran… Read More

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10 Vocational Tasks for Any Classroom

As students get older, it’s important to include more exposure to vocational and transitional tasks that will serve them well in the future. These types of tasks give students practice with everyday experiences that they will need to learn to navigate on their own, or with limited assistance. Providing this practice while in the safety of the school environment can build students’ confidence and comfort with those everyday life tasks. We asked the veteran teachers in Mrs. D’s VIPs Facebook group to share some of their favorite transitional/vocational tasks for any classroom or age. You can see the entire post here when… Read More

What Special Education Teachers Want Admins to Know

Administrators have a lot on their plates, but Special Education teachers do too. The key to working together is to create a relationship based on respect and trust. Sometimes the lines of communication, the very thing that builds those relationships, can get shut down or tangled. To help administrators understand how to support their special education teachers and create that atmosphere of respect, we asked veteran teachers what they want their admins to know. Here are the top 10 things special education teachers want admin to know about who they are and how they can be supported. 10 Things Special… Read More

heavy work tasks for any classroom, home or student

Heavy Work Tasks for Students of All Ages

Heavy work tasks can improve sensory integration, regulate emotions, and help students display appropriate behaviors throughout the school day (or at home). Proprioceptive activities, or heavy work tasks, can be done in a whole group setting or in centers. Here are some heavy work task ideas for school, home and a few for physical exercise. AT SCHOOL Carry books or stack books. Hold door open for others. Erase the board. Sharpen a pencil with a hand-held pencil sharpener. Stack chairs. Carry a heavy bag. Wipe tables. Knead dough. Squeeze stress ball. Rip cardboard or thick cardstock. Move heavy bricks or… Read More

Digital Learning in Special Ed

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic currently throwing all of us in education for an unplanned loop (and the rest of the world), as educators we are naturally born ready to handle whatever is thrown at us. In the VIP Facebook Group, we’ve been talking about distance learning, online learning, distance education, digital learning… it has a lot of names, but basically it means no school and your students are learning from home right now. While distance education or e-learning may not be a current occurrence for you and your students, this is a very real thing taking educators through yet another… Read More

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Building Relationships with Students

Building meaningful relationships with students is important… if not more important than the curriculum you teach every day. Here are a few things to keep in mind, or ideas for additional ways on how to build rapport with your students. Learn student names (names are part of our identities!) and use them. Say hello to each individual every morning as they enter your classroom. Say hello in the hallway, in the cafeteria, on the playground, at bus duty… help make them to feel seen. Be respectful. Treat students how you want to be treated. Know that as the teacher, you… Read More

how to get a teaching job after leaving midyear

How to Get a Teaching Job After Leaving Midyear

I am a huge advocate for Mental Health, and in being so, if you need to leave a teaching position mid-year to better your mental health, I will be your personal “YES! Take the time for you!” cheerleader. Why? Because I’ve done it. Twice, actually. Once when we moved to Texas and then a second time a few years ago due to my mental health. I’m open about it. I have nothing to hide. Yes, I left mid-year, but I’ve also gotten jobs after leaving mid-year and gone on interviews that led to job offers. That’s what this blog post… Read More

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How to Use Laminated Alphabet Stickers in the Classroom

Have you ever laminated alphabet stickers to use in your classroom? No… what! I am about to change your spelling, writing, and alphabet identification centers forever… and save you a bunch of time in prep! Before we get started, if you’re not sure how to laminate stickers, you’ll want to check out this blog post tutorial first. If you’re in need of the first 5 lamination hacks, you can find those here too. Now that we’re all on the same page together and ready to laminate alphabet stickers, let’s start with a few supplies. Supply list: Stickers – you can… Read More

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Lamination Hack #6: Laminating Stickers for Classroom Use

Laminating stickers is a game changing hack, especially for token boards and creating personalized math counters from characters students love and respond well to. Plus, stickers can be purchased anywhere… and in just about every topic, subject, and student-beloved character. I first shared this lamination hack in Summer 2019 on IG and you can find that original post here. To get started, you’ll need all of the supplies. Then we can dig deep into the how and, well… how to use them! Supply list: • Stickers – you can purchase them anywhere!• Laminator and pouches• Scissors• Velcro dots | Velcro… Read More

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Determining How Many Trials Per IEP Goal or Objective

Each IEP you write is individualized, that’s the purpose of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for our students with special needs. When you are writing IEP goals, you shouldn’t be using one standard measurement for skill mastery. The IEP goal trials also don’t have to be one specific amount of problems or questions per progress monitoring session. Let me explain. For example, let’s pretend this is your student’s IEP goal: Given 20 flash cards of Dolch Primer sight words, the student will be able to identify and fluently read each sight word with 75% accuracy in 3 of 5 trials…. Read More

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Coping with Teacher Anxiety | Priorities Checklist [Free Download]

As a teacher with anxiety, I often get questions on how I cope with teacher anxiety in the classroom. Besides the obvious “self care”, many of our preferred and most useful tactics for coping with teacher anxiety are things we do outside of the classroom. But as teachers we have a lot of responsibilities and our to do lists never end. The work is always there. There is always something that needs our attention. Things that need done now, things that need done next week, pretty decor ideas we saved from Pinterest… all of these things haunt our thoughts, making… Read More

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Free Parent Communication Binder | Keeping It Organized

All teachers know how important it is to be in contact with parents on the regular. With this free contact log binder setup, you’ll no longer need to worry about who called when, for what, and what you need to do now. Supplies needed: Free download // Here on TpT or Here in Resource Library. Find prep supplies needed here. You can watch this less than two minute video above to learn more about this free resource, how to prep it, how I use it and why you should be documenting parent communication using the Parent Contact Binder. You can… Read More

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Free Bathroom Visuals for the Special Ed Classroom

Visual aids are an effective way to teach students social norms, skills, and routines. This set of step by step visual aid cards are perfect for following 2 very important bathroom routines: using the toilet and washing your hands. With two sizes of the free bathroom visuals, 2 inch and 3.5 inch, you can easily use these in a classroom bathroom for a visual aid or in a life skills center. Supplies needed: Free download // Here on TpT or Here in Resource Library. Find any prep supplies needed here. You can watch the 4 and a half minute video… Read More

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Holiday Gifts for Paras and Classroom Staff

Inexpensive and meaningful gift ideas for paras and classroom support staff… every year I see tons of posts on social media about what to get TA’s for the holidays. Paraprofessionals aren’t paid well enough and we want them to feel appreciated. Buying just any gift isn’t really in the cards… no one wants a junk gift. Below is a curated list from veteran teachers on an Instagram Story post, compiled into one list to help you with your holiday shopping and gift of appreciation. handwritten thank you card (this is ALWAYS appreciated!) Echo Dot baked goods (Chex mix, caramels, homemade… Read More

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Fine Motor Spelling for Days of the Week [Free Download]

Practice fine motor skills with your students each day, as they cut and paste, then trace and write how to spell the days of the week. It is an important skill for students to learn! Print and go, no-prep activities are a great way to accommodate and modify curriculum for a variety of ability levels – and not just in a special needs classroom! This free fine motor spelling activity for the days of the week is great for the special education setting, as well as service provider sessions (Speech and OT), homeschool, outside therapies, or in a regular ed… Read More

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Documenting IEP Service Provider Times |Sign In Sheet [Free Download]

As special educators, we work with a lot of people… therapists, pathologists, counselors. And as the teacher, we are in charge of keeping track of services provided and making sure our students are getting the services outlined in their IEPs.  Use this free resource to create your own IEP Service Provider Sign in Folder. Supplies needed: Free Download // Here on TpT or Here in Resource Library 13″ Laminator Large Lamination Pouches Stick Glue Scissors or Paper Trimmer You can watch the 3 and a half minute video above to learn more about this free resource, how to prep it,… Read More

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Helping Parents Feel More Comfortable at IEP Meetings

IEP meetings can be intimidating for parents… IEP meetings are intimidating. I’ll be honest, I have attended meetings where the parent has cried, and I have attended meetings where I have cried with the parent. IEP meetings are tough. If there’s anything we can do to help, we should be doing just that as the child’s teacher and a fellow advocate who is working with parents with the best interest of the child in mind. Helping parents feel more comfortable during meetings is not only a great way to build rapport and show you care, but it will also ensure… Read More

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Endless Data Sheets for Special Education Teachers

Data sheets are essential to every special education teacher’s arsenal and bag of tricks. Not only have we documented and written an IEP goal for just about everything, but we’ve also got a data sheet to go right along with it. Data collection is a special education teacher’s life, so data sheets are the saving grace to making sure we have a simple, quick way to collect data while teaching, in the midst of a behavior, while on a field trip, when we are out sick… and everything in between. Today I want to share with you not just information… Read More

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