Welcome back to Special Education for Beginners! September is such a critical month for teachers. It’s the time when routines are still being built and the habits you create now will either set you up for a calm, structured classroom or leave you constantly putting out “fires” all year long.

In this episode, we’re talking about prevention...how to stop behaviors before they start. Of course, we know there’s no way to erase every single behavior, but wouldn’t it be nice to reduce the frequency, intensity, and unpredictability of those behaviors with just a few proactive systems?

I’ll walk you through 7 practical strategies that special educators can start using right away to create smoother routines, reduce disruptions, and build a more positive, predictable environment for students. These strategies include:

• Setting clear, explicit expectations (and teaching them like academics)
• Using predictable routines to create a sense of safety and structure
• Building relationships before enforcing rules
• Offering simple, meaningful choices to give students ownership
• Incorporating movement, sensory, and even snack breaks before problems escalate
• Reinforcing the positive behaviors you want to see more of
• Aligning the adults so every staff member responds consistently

You’ll come away with concrete examples, classroom tips, and easy-to-implement strategies that make behavior management feel less reactive and more intentional.

💡 Free Resource for Listeners: If you’re on my email list, you’ll automatically receive a free set of Behavior Management Cards with these 7 strategies plus a few bonus ones. They’re printable, easy to clip on a ring, and perfect for quick reminders for you and your team.

🎧 Not signed up yet? You can join here

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At the start of a new school year, everything can feel big. The stress, the expectations, the changes...they all seem to hit at once. If you’re in that season of overwhelm, this episode is your much-needed pep talk.

In Episode 225, I’m sharing the mindset shifts that have helped me stay grounded, protect my peace, and stop giving energy to things that don’t matter in the long run. Whether you’re already in the thick of it or gearing up to start the 2025–26 school year, this is the perfect time to take a deep breath and shift your perspective.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

• Why it's normal to feel overwhelmed at the start of the year (you’re not alone!)
• 3 key perspective shifts that can help you stay grounded and avoid burnout
• How to tell the difference between a moment and a mountain
• Why building strong connections with your team (especially your paras and gen ed colleagues) matters more than ever
• What it means to zoom in, zoom out, and find the balance in between

Quick Recap of This Month’s Back-to-School Series:

• Ep. 222: Where Do I Even Start? — 3 Priorities for Special Educators
• Ep. 223: Mastering the Special Education Schedule (One Tetris Piece at a Time)
• Ep. 224: How to Choose the Right Data Collection System for Your Classroom

If you missed any of those episodes, now’s a great time to go back and catch up!

Key Takeaways from Episode 225:

🔄 Perspective Shift #1: Will This Matter in 3 Days, 3 Weeks, or 3 Months?

Use the “Triple 3 Rule” to filter your stress and energy. Not everything is worth your mental real estate.

🤝 Perspective Shift #2: Stay in Your Lane—But Don’t Isolate

Focus on your students and your goals, but build strong connections with your support team and gen ed teachers. You’re not alone, and your people can help lighten the load.

🔍 Perspective Shift #3: Know When to Zoom In… and When to Zoom Out

Being detail-oriented is a superpower—but don’t forget to zoom out and look at the big picture. Your students are making progress. So are you.

Final Thoughts

You can’t do it all and you don’t have to. The job is big, but it should never come at the cost of your well-being. Protect your peace, give yourself grace, and remember: you’re doing better than you think.

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Collecting data is one of the most important parts of being a special education teacher, but let’s be honest—it’s also one of the most overwhelming. Between figuring out how to track academic, behavioral, and anecdotal progress, and deciding how often to collect it, most teachers end up feeling stuck without a system that really works.

• In this episode, I’m breaking down the reality of data collection and sharing practical systems you can use to make the process manageable. From data notebooks and sticky note systems to exit tickets, independent IEP folders, and IEP boxes—you’ll hear tried-and-true strategies that can be customized to fit your classroom. I’ll also give you tips for training your paraprofessionals, keeping data organized, and making sure your notes actually make sense when you go back to use them.

What We’ll Cover in This Episode

• Why data collection often feels confusing and stressful
• The “how, when, and what” of data—and why consistency matters
• Tried-and-true systems you can try, including:
  • Data notebooks
  • Sticky note system
  • Exit tickets
  • Independent IEP folders
  • IEP boxes

Plus... Extra Tips to make your system work

Key Takeaways

• You don’t need a “perfect” system—you need a consistent one.
• Data should serve you by guiding instruction and showing growth, not just add to your workload.
• With the right tools in place, data becomes a resource, not a burden.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode
👉 Data Collection Sheets for Special Education Teachers – ready-to-use, customizable forms to simplify data tracking and keep you organized.

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Scheduling in special education isn’t for the faint of heart! Whether you’re leading a resource room program, a self-contained classroom, or managing inclusion services across multiple grades, you’ve probably felt like you were playing an endless game of Tetris...trying your hardest to make all the pieces fit without leaving gaps or losing a part of your soul.

In this episode, I’m breaking down three distinct approaches:

Part 1: Scheduling for a Resource Room

We’ll dig into a practical, step-by-step method for building a workable resource room schedule. You’ll learn how to:

• Use Google Sheets in 5-minute increments for precision and flexibility
• Add all staff names across the top so you can visually track who’s doing what, when
• Assign a unique color code for each para, subject, recess/lunch duty, and transition for instant clarity
• Map out student service minutes straight from their IEPs using color-coded sticky notes, so you can see exactly where those minutes fit best before locking anything in
• Adjust your plan for inevitable overlaps, push-ins, or schedule conflicts

Part 2: Scheduling in a Self-Contained Program

When your students are with you all day, the challenge shifts from fitting them into other schedules to structuring a daily flow that supports learning and regulation. We’ll cover how to:

• “Anchor” your day by first plugging in non-negotiables like arrival, lunch, recess, specials, and dismissal
• Place your most demanding academic lessons during peak alertness times, and save hands-on or lower-energy activities for after lunch or late afternoon
• Run smooth small group rotations with paras leading activities or supervising independent work
• Schedule sensory and movement breaks proactively, not just reactively
• Build in life skills, social skills, and transition time as intentional parts of the schedule
• Use color-coding to quickly read the master schedule at a glance
• Teach the schedule to your students so it becomes a predictable part of their day

Part 3: Scheduling for a Full Inclusion Program

If your special education program is fully inclusion-based, scheduling is more about strategically embedding support into the general education environment. You’ll discover how to:

• Start by collecting all general education class schedules across the grades you serve
• Layer in your students’ IEP minutes so you can match support to the most critical times of instruction (rather than spreading minutes too thin)
• Coordinate with general education teachers to determine when you’ll push in, co-teach, or provide targeted small group support in the classroom
• Factor in paraprofessional coverage so your staff are placed where they’re most needed without overlapping unnecessarily
• Plan for high-need transition times like arrival, dismissal, and lunch to ensure students are supported during those unstructured moments
• Keep a flexible mindset—your inclusion schedule will likely shift frequently at the start of the year as you learn student needs and teacher expectations

By the end of this episode, you’ll have a clear framework for making the most of your time—without feeling like the pieces are constantly falling too fast. The key isn’t creating a “perfect” sch

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Whether you are ready or not, back-to-school season is knocking on the door!

And if you're feeling a little frozen in place, like a deer in the headlights, you're not alone.

In this episode, I'm sharing the three high-impact areas you should focus on first to minimize overwhelm and set yourself up for success as a special education teacher. Whether you’re brand new to the field or returning for another year, these priorities will help you go from stuck to strategic—without trying to do everything at once.

We’ll cover:

• ✅ How to truly understand your students' IEPs and why it’s your most important first step
• ✅ How to organize your classroom around function over flashy
• ✅ What core systems you must set up before day one

Grab my Sped Teacher Checklist: Support for New Special Educators—your step-by-step guide for staying focused, organized, and calm during back-to-school chaos.

🎧 Whether you’re staring around your classroom wondering where to begin, or knee-deep in planning already, this episode will help you breathe easier and prioritize what really matters.

🔗 Resources Mentioned:

• Sped Teacher Checklist: Click here to grab it
• Free 10-Step Team Culture Guide for Paraprofessionals: spedprepacademy.com/team
• Episode 221: 3 Steps to Start Strong with Your Paraprofessionals

Get your copy of the new and improved Paraprofessional Handbook and make this the best year ever when it comes to working with staff.

👉 Let’s Connect!
Instagram: @spedprepacademy
Website: www.spedprepacademy.com

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Welcome to the final episode of our July Paraprofessional Series! This month, we’ve talked mindset, delegation, communication, and even heard directly from paras themselves.

But today’s episode is all about action—because a strong team doesn’t just happen… it’s built. And it starts with YOU.

In this episode, I’m walking you through 3 simple but powerful steps you can take to start the school year off right with your paraprofessionals. These are the exact things I wish I had started doing earlier in my own career—and they’ve made all the difference.

Whether you’re working with one para or a whole team, this episode will help you lay the foundation for a school year built on respect, clarity, and collaboration.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to get your hands on a free 10-step guide to build team culture
• Why every para deserves a handbook and where to find one
• Five essential questions to open the lines of communication from day one

Resources Mentioned:

• 🎁 Free Team Culture Guide: spedprepacademy.com/team
• 📘 Editable Paraprofessional Handbook: TPT Listing - 50% off through Aug. 6
• 📚 Bound Handbook on Amazon – Coming Soon! Link will be added to the show notes once live

Next Month’s Sneak Peek:
August is all about back-to-school success! I’ll be sharing tips for setting up your classroom, building a master schedule, and managing your caseload without overwhelm. Make sure to follow the podcast so you don’t miss an episode!

✨ Let’s kick off the year with confidence and collaboration. You’ve got this!

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This week’s episode is a little different because it’s not about us as teachers. It’s about the incredible individuals who support us and our students every single day: our paraprofessionals.

Throughout July, we've been focusing into how to build strong para-teacher relationships, and in this episode, we’re hearing directly from the voices that matter most. I asked a group of current and former paraprofessionals five powerful questions about their roles, challenges, and what they need from their supervising teachers—and their answers were honest, heartfelt, and eye-opening.

✨ Inside this episode, we explore:

• What makes a para feel valued and respected
• The misunderstandings teachers often have about their role
• What paras wish would change in the way they collaborate with teachers
• Why input, clarity, and recognition matter more than you might think
• How we can better provide the training and tools they truly need

💡 You’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of how to create a supportive, inclusive, and collaborative environment for your paras—and why doing so leads to better outcomes for your entire classroom.

🎧 Whether you’re new to working with paras or want to strengthen your existing team dynamic, this episode is a must-listen.

Get the FREE 10-Step Guide to Begin Creating a TEAM Culture With Your Staff

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This is the 3rd installment of the paraprofessional series for July.

In this episode of Special Education for Beginners, we’re tackling one of the toughest (but most necessary) parts of leading a team—what to do when a paraprofessional is disengaged, resistant, or just not meeting expectations.

If you’ve ever avoided a hard conversation, felt frustrated but unsure how to speak up, or simply wished you had the words and tools to handle tricky para situations… this episode is for you.

We’ll cover:

✅ Common signs of disengagement or burnout
✅ How to lead with both accountability and compassion
✅ A simple 3-step feedback framework: Observe, Ask, Collaborate
✅ What redirection and support can look like in real time
✅ A mini training idea you can use on the spot
✅ Why support doesn’t mean lowering expectations—it means raising your leadership

Plus, I’ll walk you through how to access a FREE bundle of tools to help make these courageous conversations easier. It includes:

• Courageous Conversation Starters
• Para Expectations Checklist
• Actionable Tips for Para Effectiveness
• A List of Practical Para Training Topics

💌 Join my email list at www.spedprepacademy.com/conversations to get access to free tools!

Remember, you don’t have to handle these challenges alone. Let’s grow into stronger, more confident leaders—together.

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