When your students have community experience IEP goals, addressing them during distance learning can be tricky. Check out these community trip ideas that are perfect for distance learning! Enter: The New Look of Community Experience IEP Goals Unlike past years when heading out into the community made addressing community experience goals easy, distance learning requires creative solutions. It may mean bringing the community into the classroom, either in-person or virtually. The good ... Read More about Community Trip Ideas During Distance Learning
Student Incentives for Virtual Learning
Incentives have always been a great way to motivate students to complete lessons in the classroom. Thankfully, they can work just as well for virtual learning! The only difference is that the type of incentives needs to change slightly to accommodate the distance learning aspect. If you are struggling to figure out what type of student incentives to use in your virtual classroom this year, look no further. We have compiled a list of some of the very best virtual learning student ... Read More about Student Incentives for Virtual Learning
What Teachers Wish the World Knew About Being a Teacher
There are few other professions where people think they know it all even if they have never been trained. Teaching is one of them. So what do teachers wish the world knew about being a teacher? A lot! New and veteran teachers shared with us some of the things they wish the world knew about teaching. Some of their concerns were poignant. Some were lighthearted. And some of the things they wish the world knew were born out of frustration at being in an undervalued yet invaluable ... Read More about What Teachers Wish the World Knew About Being a Teacher
Instead of Calling Your Student’s “Guys!” Try These
Find yourself calling your students the same thing over and over? We asked teachers to share with us some of the things they call their students to help break up the "hey guys!" After you have been teaching for a while, you begin to develop habits and sayings that stick with you from year to year. Whether it's a particular way of organizing your whiteboard or a phrase that you become known for, breaking out of those habits can be hard! If one of the things you are known for is saying, ... Read More about Instead of Calling Your Student’s “Guys!” Try These
How to Collect Data During Virtual Learning
Collecting data can be challenging under normal circumstances, but collecting data during virtual teaching brings with it a whole host of other issues. We asked veteran teachers how they are collecting data during this unusual time and tips they might have for others. While virtual teaching may not be every teacher's ideal method of instruction, it is possible to gather data on your students and make sure they are getting the support services that they need. If you are new to virtual ... Read More about How to Collect Data During Virtual Learning
Back to School Tips Veteran Teachers Wish They Knew Back Then
Going back to school is a process that veteran teachers now know very well. But for first year teachers, it can be daunting. There is so much that a college classroom and books can't and don't teach you. Most veteran teachers have a step-by-step process for what we need to do to get ready for the new school year. Thinking back to 10 years ago, when I was a first year teacher (that year I was a 7th grade Middle School Math Co-Teacher in Virginia), I remember being so excited for the school ... Read More about Back to School Tips Veteran Teachers Wish They Knew Back Then
Introducing The Intentional IEP
Imagine if you looked at your teacher self 3 months from now and saw a teacher unscathed and overcome with clarity about the IEP writing process and had a system that worked. How would that feel? Flashback to the end of May 2019. I was having a conversation with another teacher friend about how I wanted to help teachers write better IEPs for their students. Not only that, I wanted to help teachers write compliant, rockstar IEPs quicker than ever before so that they can spend less time ... Read More about Introducing The Intentional IEP
Lessons Teacher Anxiety Taught Me
It’s Sunday evening, the weekend time with your precious family is over and it is time to start thinking about the 5 day school week ahead. You have 2 IEPs to write, data to collect for Student A’s Functional Behavior Assessment, math lessons to plan and a BASC report to write. Does thinking about this make you anxious too? Anxiety is a tough thing to work through, on your own or through therapy. It can take months, years… even then it’s a constant work in progress. As a teacher ... Read More about Lessons Teacher Anxiety Taught Me
Planning Academic Centers in a Special Ed Classroom
A common struggle in special education classrooms is not being able to get through all instruction and also work on IEP goal skills. Do you share in this struggle?! Because you're here reading this, I'm going to go out on a limb and say the struggle is real for you too. While centers do not solve the bigger issue at hand, they do help us special education teachers meet the needs of all of our learners, while providing opportunities for growth and student independence. So let's chat ... Read More about Planning Academic Centers in a Special Ed Classroom
Online Training + Professional Development for Teachers
Depending on the state where you have your teaching license, professional development is required every year or two to maintain an active status designation on your license. So what do you do when all or most in-person professional development opportunities have been postponed or canceled? Or maybe just add to your CEU hours? Take online trainings and professional development courses to get your hours in, of course! With limited time it can be challenging to find programs that are ... Read More about Online Training + Professional Development for Teachers
Words of Wisdom for Student Teachers
Student teaching is such an exciting time! You get to put into practice everything you have learned and absorb so much more about teaching than you ever thought possible. It’s fun, it’s stressful, and it’s an excellent opportunity to see how schools really work. We asked veteran teachers to share their best advice and words of wisdom for student teachers in our Facebook group, Mrs. D’s VIPs. Their comments were heartfelt, spot-on, and filled with the wisdom that only comes from years of ... Read More about Words of Wisdom for Student Teachers
Paraprofessional Appreciation Ideas
Paraprofessionals are an integral part of the special education team, and April 1st is Paraprofessional Appreciation Day. It's a national day dedicated to our support staff (even though they deserve more than one day!) so we can celebrate them and their contributions to the classroom. Showing your appreciation for their efforts can mean the world. But how can you show them how important they are to you and your students? We asked veteran teachers for some of their best tips and tricks for ... Read More about Paraprofessional Appreciation Ideas
Unpublished End of the Year Books Written by Teachers | Teacher Humor
Ah, the end of the school year. It is a challenging time for teachers everywhere. Kids are ready for summer, and, let's be honest, so are teachers. We decided to have some fun and asked the veteran teachers in our Mrs. D's VIPs Facebook Group what they would title a book about how to survive the last month of school. Their answers were, as expected, amusing, and spot-on! You can see the original post here if you're a member of the group. Not a member yet? We would love to have ... Read More about Unpublished End of the Year Books Written by Teachers | Teacher Humor
Education Books to Read During Teacher Time Off
Professional development is always important, but finding ways to fit it in throughout the school year can be challenging... especially when you add in all of the other things teachers have to manage. Maybe you've considered reading education-related books during your time off, to learn a new skill, or to learn more information about a teaching technique or intervention. Education books are perfect to read during time off (like quarantine, breaks, or during the summer months) to get in the ... Read More about Education Books to Read During Teacher Time Off
What to Do When You’re Burned Out on Writing IEPs
There comes a time in every special educator's life when writing IEPs leads to feelings of being burned out. And trust me, IEP writing burnout is real. The constant pressure to make sure your students' needs are addressed in detail with the appropriate accommodations and interventions can weigh on even the most experienced of teachers. So, what do you do when you are burned out? We asked the inspiring teachers in our Facebook group, Mrs. D's VIPs, to share their best advice, tips, ... Read More about What to Do When You’re Burned Out on Writing IEPs
Making the Most of Your Virtual Teaching Lessons
Teaching is not easy, but planning distance learning lessons is even more challenging. #canIgetanamen From technology challenges to lesson implementation issues, the challenges of virtual teaching can quickly become overwhelming. If you are struggling, know that you are not alone. Thankfully, we have a wonderful group of supportive educators who were happy to share how to make the most of your virtual teaching lessons so that you and your students can both be successful. The teachers in ... Read More about Making the Most of Your Virtual Teaching Lessons
How to Teach Social Skills During Distance Learning
Reading, writing, and arithmetic are essential subjects, but as any teacher knows, social skills play a vital role in every student's success in and out of the classroom. Even though your students may be distance learning at the moment, giving them opportunities to practice their social skills is important. We asked the teachers of Mrs. D's VIPs Facebook group what their best suggestions were for helping students develop the social skills they need. As always, they provided great tips ... Read More about How to Teach Social Skills During Distance Learning
4 Things Parents Need to Do With Their Child When School is Closed
Quarantine life has teachers scrambling to learn how to deliver lessons to students via virtual learning... and parents are very quickly learning how important teachers are, while also having to cook meals, keep the house clean, keep the kids from fighting, stay sane, not run out of toilet paper, and 1,000+ other things. The quarantine struggle is real for everyone. But there's a common fear amongst the parents I've spoken with over the last few weeks, and it all comes down to this: how ... Read More about 4 Things Parents Need to Do With Their Child When School is Closed