Sydney's School Stories

 As a special education teacher one of your big jobs is to case manage and teach students with individualized education plans (IEPs).  What's An IEP?  IEPs are legal plans to help students with special needs and create systems to help them in school. IEPs need to be reviewed annually with a student's family/guardian, general education teacher, school administrator, special education teacher, student (if appropriate), and any specialist involved (speech, occupational or physical therapy, vision, advocates, etc.). An IEP outlines goals for student and any accommodations or modifications a student might need for that school year.  I was so nervous at the first IEP meeting I facilitated! It can be nerve wracking to create / share a presentation to a student's family and your colleagues- all while remembering that that is a legally binding document. Today I want to share with some ideas and materials to have a smooth IEP meeting! Preparing / Writing an IEP Give yourself L...

 At the end of the 21/22 school year I decided to leave the district I had been at for my entire career (6 years!). I went to a neighboring district and I have been so happy that I made this change. Change is hard- but today I want to share why change may also be just the thing you need. I remember when I got my first teaching job. I was so excited! I had a lot of big life changes coming up and really needed a job- I was moving from California to Washington, getting married, and starting my career! During my time in my district there were so many celebrations- I made some of my best friends, I learned so much as a teacher, and I earned my special education credential. There were also big challenges- I moved buildings a lot (being new/low seniority), it was a big learning curve to work at a title 1 school, and special education was a really big/hard transition. Last year I felt that there wasn't enough support for my high needs students and I felt that the district's and I's...

I've always been fairly good about working my contract hours but the last few years (pandemic teaching and teaching new subjects) have made me be more mindful of my self care and my work/life boundaries. Here are some tips for working your contract hours: Make a daily must do list. I usually about 3-5 things a day I write down that I must get done.  Make the most of your prep time. I really value my prep time and I do my must do items of the day during this time. I'm working as a special education teacher this year and I make sure to also value their prep time.  Don't grade everything. When I taught general education- I had assignments that I would just check for completion (IE center activities). There is no way you can grade everything. In special education I take data on one goal area a session (IE in a math small group I will take data on one kid's goal area and target the lesson on that- the next time I'll focus in on a different goal).  Make and re-use materia...

 Year 7! I cannot believe that time has passed so quickly. This year I am teaching a new subject (elementary resource room) at a new district. Last year was really challenging and I just needed a change. This year I am hopeful . Hopeful to fall back in love with teaching and hopeful to regain my own sense of self.  Here are some photos of my new classroom. I share this space with a wonderful PT and OT.  Update 3 weeks in... I just finished the first full week week of the school year- so tired but overall feeling happier/more at peace with teaching. I'm exhausted but I think this is just because of transitioning to being back at school.  Highlights I realize that last year I really missed having more conversations with kids and building relationships. (Last year I taught young students who were still learning how to use AAC and this made communication more challenging). I love laughing and talking more to my students.  I am using A TON of skills that I gained fro...

Summer!!! Summer is the time of year when teacher rejoice and what we look forward to all year.  In the past I've always worked summer school - it gave me extra money and I always worried about not having enough to do. People hate on summer school- but it is nice to get to get extra income (*side note- unfortunately many teachers rely on supplemental income) and I got to do creative technology camps and learn new skills. The past 2 years I didn't work during the summer because of the pandemic and this year I was honestly just too burnt out.  This summer I am approaching my time off in a whole new way! I am healing. I am resting. I am smiling.  This past school year was exhausting. I was in a new role and the learning curve was very high. I worked with students who needed a lot of support and some who could be extremely physically aggressive (I still have scars / marks that I'm healing). I am tired of fighting for support for my class / students. To add to that- we all jus...

  2021-2022 A Year In Review- Big Leaps & Persistence I’m finishing up my 6th year teaching! This year I took a big leap and went from teaching upper (general education) elementary to teaching kindergarten/1st grade special education. For me personally- this was my most challenging year. It was challenging to go from fully remote to in person, from general education to special education, and work with aggressive behaviors. In this post I want to share golden moments (good things to cherish), what I’ve learned, and some advice on persisting.  Golden Moments I made a lot of new teacher friends! The connections and community of teaching is something that is irreplaceable.  I worked with some really cool kids. The kids had a lot of needs and different struggles but they also reminded me daily of childhood joy/innocence/enjoyment in small moments. They laugh and love bubbles, playing with toys, Peppa Pig, and playing with water. The kids have a strength that is special. Th...