2021-2022 A Year In Review- Big Leaps & Persistence

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 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. The families are so loving to their students and so dedicated to them - even though I’m sure it's hard to navigate the world as a special needs family. 

  • The kids have a lot of energy so we had an extra recess or 2 daily and played with bubbles or peek a boo! One kid loved to peek-a-boo and would run up to me with love and enthusiasm in the morning to play and laugh. 

  • Some of the kids made so much growth in being a student and their confidence!

What I’ve Learned

  • I learned a lot of working with impacted special education students. I had co-taught and done inclusion with this population in general education- but it is a whole different story being on the other side. The students in my class were mostly non-verbal and needed lots of adult support. I learned a lot about working with students with autism, developmental delays, and ways to create a communication system. It was challenging to be learning a new language of AAC and working with my team to interpret what different behaviors might mean. It was also fun to get to know the kids- they can be so sweet and are so joyful. 

  • I learned that working with younger students has its pros and cons. The littles are so cute, sweet, and laugh at little moments. They remind me of childhood fun and play. Many of these littles come with limited communication (this is something we needed to build/explore together) and they are learning basic school skills. 

  • This year I learned that I am a fighter/an advocate. I had a very challenging physically aggressive student and several students who scratched. I had a student who needed more support and resources- I learned to ask for and document the need for resources. I asked for what I needed and worked hard to ensure that my para team, students, and myself were in a safe classroom environment.

  • I learned how to lead a team of support staff/paraeducators. I was so blessed this year to work with an amazing team of people. 

Advise/How To Persist In a Hard Year

  • Have your team of support. I am so lucky to have a supportive/loving husband and family to lean on for support. There were many days I had no energy to cook or do chores and my husband was very understanding. I also suggest having teacher friends who get it. SPED is a different world and it was so helpful to have friends who’ve taught this to go to for ideas and support because they really understand. 

  • Create a strong school team. In my role I worked with amazing paraeducators, speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, school psychs, etc. It is important to have trust and respect with this team because we all work to support the kids. I brought my paras treats often to thank them for their flexibility and dedication to doing a hard job. 

  • Data. In SPED data = gold. Data allowed me to get additional support and resources for students. Data will form your instruction and help you create goals. 

  • Leave work at work and take personal days. At the beginning of the year I took a lot of work home but I got so burned out. I don’t take my laptop home most days now. I bulk prep for the week during my prep. I also took personal days to help my mental health and for rest. 

As I finish out the year- its one I won’t forget. There needs to be changes in education to keep people safe and to give all kids access to education. I learned this year that I can do really hard things- I am strong. 

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