One thing I do miss about living in Pennsylvania is the change in seasons. Now, I surely don't miss the snow, but I do love everything that comes along with it. Cozy sweaters, fireplaces lit up and glowing, and all of the fun activities that you can plan for the season.February is one of my favorite months to teach. Here are a few ideas I'm planning for February... more specifically, Valentine's Day: INTERACTIVE BULLETIN BOARD So I have a really amazing para in my classroom who made this super ... Read More about Valentine’s Day Fun in Life Skills
100th Day Celebration in Special Ed
The 100th Day in any elementary classroom is a huge celebration. It kind of marks the school year, and gets us all excited for the fun of Spring and the end of the year. But all of the fun can be time consuming for teachers to plan and prepare. I really enjoy the 100th Day of School because there are so many fun, educational activities that I can do with my students, so I wanted to share my favorites with you in hopes of giving you some inspiration before the big day! 1. Decorate the ... Read More about 100th Day Celebration in Special Ed
Duck for President ( Books Teachers Love )
February... the month of love. And for perfectly good reason because oh. my. goodness. Who doesn't love a good read aloud?! :) Before we know it, February is going to be here. Say what! And while it might be really hard to think about at the moment, it's never too early to start ordering some books to prep for February. SAAYYY WHHAAAT! Raise your hand if you, too, love you some Amazon Prime for buying books?! See, I knew we were friends for a reason! February 15 is President's Day in the ... Read More about Duck for President ( Books Teachers Love )
Adapted Books for the Special Ed Classroom
Adapted books are one of my new, absolute favorite things to have in the classroom. You can find them on almost any topic and I promise you that your students will love them too. Maybe you are unsure of what an adapted book is, so here's a brief description: There are different types of adapted books. You've got the adapted piece book sets, which are interactive pieces you use in children's books your child already loves. Then you've got adapted books, which is a printable book (or the ... Read More about Adapted Books for the Special Ed Classroom
25 Must Haves for Any SPED Teacher
Being a special education teacher is tough, but so rewarding. With the "extra" time we do have, we spend it researching and writing IEPs and organizing all the things... I absolutely love what I do, but if you're anything like me, you know there are certain times throughout the school year where you need to re-stock on your most used items. I call them my "must haves." Your must haves can be anything from a classroom supply for your students to something you personally need to get you ... Read More about 25 Must Haves for Any SPED Teacher
Snowmen at Night ( Books Teachers Love )
Even though there is a lot to celebrate and be thankful for in November and December, I still love sharing my favorite books with you. My husband might tell you I have a book problem, but I say I just have lots of options when it comes to story time. January is kind of sad because I have to put away all of the Christmas books. But January is also really awesome because now it's winter and now we can pull out a lot of historical readers, like books about Martin Luther King, Jr. and the ... Read More about Snowmen at Night ( Books Teachers Love )
DIY Classroom Fireplace
The holidays are a great time of year, and a lot of fun for the kids too. It typically means that winter break is coming, the possibility of snow, family time, and probably presents... ...but it doesn't need to be the chaotic, classroom-party having, squeeze-it-all-in-before-break planning fun that us teachers get to have. It CAN be fun for us too! I saw a picture somewhere on a makeshift fireplace, and I knew that I had to create my own. Because there weren't any directions, I just kind ... Read More about DIY Classroom Fireplace
64oz. Games { Board Games for the Visually Impaired }
When I moved to Texas last year, never did I think that I would be given the opportunity to work with such amazing and inspiring people. And I didn't just say that for the sake of this review, I really mean it. Emily, one of the creators behind 64 oz. Games, is so proactive in the Visually Impaired community that it makes me wish I did more for the special needs community. To top it all off, her and her husband spend countless hours behind the scenes of 64 oz. Games to bring board games to ... Read More about 64oz. Games { Board Games for the Visually Impaired }
Mooseltoe ( Books Teachers Love )
December read alouds are a super close second to October children's books for me, and they make up the largest section in my classroom library. I can never say no to a good holiday book. In all honesty, I didn't know about this book until last winter, but it quickly became one of my favorites. It leads into math and art, great for fine motor practice and so many other great lessons to keep students engaged and having fun with learning during the month of December. One of my favorite ... Read More about Mooseltoe ( Books Teachers Love )
Holidays Around the World: Australia
Holidays Around the World is a staple in many elementary classrooms during the month of December. It's a time to celebrate and learn all about different countries and cultures, and how they celebrate the holiday. I am so excited that today is finally here and I can tell you all about what all of us have been planning for you these past couple of months. A Holidays Around the World Blog Hop! At this stop around the world, you'll learn all about the holiday in AUSTRALIA. Along the way, we will ... Read More about Holidays Around the World: Australia
SPED Secrets: What You Don’t Learn in College
Let's be honest here for a minute and start this off by agreeing that a good percentage of the college courses you take are a big waste of time. There are those really good courses that prepare you for the "textbook stuff", but nothing in the world prepares you for teaching quite like actually teaching does. Especially in special education. The other week, something happened in my classroom that made me think "well I definitely didn't learn how to handle this in college!" I don't quite ... Read More about SPED Secrets: What You Don’t Learn in College
SNAP! { My School Pictures }
The dreaded school picture day... let me say that I'm not really sure if I actually like school pictures. It might be one of those love-hate relationships. I don't have any bad memories growing up of having anxiety over picture day, but there sure were a few bad years that are documented for eternity. During my first year of teaching, I heard an interesting conversation onthe radio. It said that people typically have a 10-year period wherethey look their best, and where they will pretty much ... Read More about SNAP! { My School Pictures }
SPED Tricks and Treats Blog Hop
One of the most unique things about teachers is that we come up with some pretty genius tricks and hacks for the classroom. Using shower curtain rods to hang anchor charts, building seats out of plastic crates. You name it, a teacher has probably tried it. Now I'm usually the one who sees pictures of a classroom trick and thinks, "wow, that's absolutely genius! Why didn't I think of that?" and not the one actually thinking on my toes to solve a minor problem. But today I am sharing three ... Read More about SPED Tricks and Treats Blog Hop
10 Turkeys in the Road ( Books Teachers Love )
November is a great month for children's books. Thanksgiving, friendship, turkeys, pumpkins, corn, farms, the upcoming change of seasons... it really holds so much potential. Thanksgiving is probably one of the larger sections of my classroom library, with books are the holiday, it's history, pilgrims and more. So without further ado, let's get started on the book I've chosen for this month. Crazy circus turkeys, a tired old farmer trying to get home, and engaging rhymes making this the ... Read More about 10 Turkeys in the Road ( Books Teachers Love )
The Busy Teacher’s Life: Tips for Juggling it All
Life. Oh life, how it gets in the way of my teaching some days. Teaching. Oh teaching, how it gets in the way of my life some days. It is for sure something that all teachers struggle with, and I am no stranger to this circus act! I have had many people tell me that they are amazed at how organized Iam and that they have no idea how I keep it all together. And now it's time for me to share my secrets (that aren't so secret anymore) with you! Before you head on over to Education to the Core's ... Read More about The Busy Teacher’s Life: Tips for Juggling it All
Fall Teacher Fashion (V4)
Let me start off by saying this is not a sponsored post and you will not find any affiliate links within this post. I am simply sharing some teacher fashion love! ------------------------ Heyyyyy... wow, the last time we had a fashion talk for teachers was almost two years ago [Volume 1 // Volume 2]. Over the last two years my fashion sense has developed into a more... basic, yet mature look. I still pretty much live in athletic gear when I get home and on weekends, but I've actually done my ... Read More about Fall Teacher Fashion (V4)
Making the Pieces Fit: Collaborating with General Ed Teachers
In a perfect world, general education teachers and special education teachers would have all of the time in the world to collaborate together. We wouldn't have 6 meetings a week during the school day and we would certainly see each other more than a "hey, how's Billy doing?" - "Good!" conversation in the hallway. I get it. I'm there with you. We're in the same boat. It honestly happens to the best of us. Well, all of us really. There's so much included in the general ed world that special ed ... Read More about Making the Pieces Fit: Collaborating with General Ed Teachers
Learning About Our Emotions: Inside Out Bulletin Board
Help your students with managing, processing, and learning about their emotions with this Inside Out bulletin board display. I will be honest in telling you that I didn't see this movie until right before school started. One of my students absolutely LOVES Disney and Pixar movies, so I made it a point to see it so I could bond with my students over the movie. But I had this brilliant idea that I needed to have an Inside Out bulletin board. The rest of my classroom is color coded with primary ... Read More about Learning About Our Emotions: Inside Out Bulletin Board