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You're teaching a small group. Things are going well. Students are engaged, someone just answered a question correctly, and you're about to move to the next step in the lesson. Then you hear, " Hey, quick question. " A para is standing next to you. A student is refusing to work, someone is trying to leave the table, and another student is calling out. And now, instruction stops. You pause your group, give directions, redirect the students, and return to teaching...until the n

When everything in your classroom feels urgent, it’s hard to know where to start. Instead of trying to fix everything at once, focus on identifying the biggest drain on your time and attention. This post shows teachers how to prioritize classroom systems, identify bottlenecks that interrupt instruction, and take the first step toward building routines that make the day run more smoothly.

Teaching feels impossible right now—and it’s not because you’re doing something wrong. High behaviors, constant interruptions, and lack of time are signs of missing classroom systems, not teacher failure. This post explores why teaching feels so hard and how building simple, sustainable systems can help special education classrooms run more smoothly.

Imagine you’re teaching a lesson, you pose a question, and one of your students who doesn’t use verbal speech lights up and gives you a giant thumbs up. The entire class notices, and suddenly, the student is part of the conversation. That’s the power of intentional engagement for non-verbal learners.

I’m so excited to welcome the amazing Kim Lund,  also known in the Instagram-verse as @thelifeofkimmied . She is a passionate special...

You walk into your classroom, coffee in hand…when you get the text that one of your paras has called out sick. Unfortunately, para shortages and lack of substitutes are a reality in the education system. It can be hard enough to find paraprofessionals to fill positions, but then add on the difficulty of keeping them healthy when they are working with a classroom full of small children- it makes last-minute call outs too common.

It seems like the school year just ended, and Extended School Year (ESY) is already sneaking up on us. It’s okay to feel behind. The truth is, there’s not always a lot of time to prepare for ESY, and you’re likely still trying to wrap up the school year. Here are a few tips for a smoother ESY session with little time to plan.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) has revolutionized how educators support students with communication challenges, offering a bridge to more effective interaction and learning. Among the myriad applications of AAC in the classroom, its role in the writing process stands out as particularly transformative. This blog post explores how teachers can leverage AAC and predictable chart writing to support their students during writing activities.

Teaching writing in a self-contained special education classroom can feel overwhelming for both students and teachers. Many students with disabilities come in with limited writing instruction or inconsistent experiences. And let’s be real: there aren’t a lot of writing programs out there that are truly accessible for our learners. That’s why explicit writing instruction is essential.