1st year here.

Honeymoon phase is over and behaviors have started to come out. Im 2 weeks in and have no planning period and havent taken lunch once - it doesnt feel safe.

5 kinders 3 1st.

7 are nonverbal.

5 in pullups. 1 can fully solo. Other 2 need some assistance but usually can navigate with minor surveillance.

So I do have 2 TAs - but 1 kid pushes out for 2 hours so sometimes due to lunches we only have 2 adults in the room with 7 kids. (This kid is in pull-ups and screeches. My TA is shared with another teachers kid who is just as bad. Seems like a disturbance to the gen ed class with no real benefit - im taking data on it)

We have 1 kid on new meds who isnt sleeping at night and just scream cries all day. They are so sleep deprived and definitely not feeling themselves on their meds.

1 who is seeing how this behavior can get attention so they're acting up and running around and breaking rules (danger to others)

1 who cant even drink from their container themselves so we have to help hold up cups so they swallow.

With how needy some kids are, the rest of the kids see that theres no real need to follow rules and structures and they just do as they please when we don't have enough adults in the room to get them situated for learning.

I feel like I am falling apart. And yet, I see other people who have way less support in their room than me. Ive cried so many times and just dont think I have it in me.

2 weeks in and I feel done. I have a side business that has made good money and am debating doing that instead and just hoping for the best. Im exhausted.​

I have been a sped teacher for 12 years (17 total years teaching). This year I moved from high school to elementary sped. I got a student who is in 5th grade, with dyslexia, dyscalculia, and a SLD. This student has been gen ed with resource room for the last three years. He gets pulled out of school for SEVEN hours a week to go to a dyslexia center. He is at the mid-end of first grade in all skills! Reading fluency, basic reading, reading comprehension (is higher if he gets to listen to a story), cannot do double digit addition nor subtraction, is at about 30% accuracy for 0-9 single digit multiplication. He receives speech and it. Is the most whiny child I’ve ever dealt with, is very small for his age, and mom is a nightmare to work with. She thinks the dyslexia center is a god send, but based on scores there’s been NO improvement.

My problem is, I feel he needs to be At Least resources room if not complete separate setting- with the possibility that he may not get a diploma. The last year sped teachers are fighting me saying he needs to be given the opportunity in the classroom. I feel he’s had plenty of opportunities and putting him in the general Ed at 5th grade is not helping anyone!

11 year teacher vet, but new to special ed and to my boujee school, where I do not fit in. This is the hardest thing I have EVER taught. I'm not certified in special ed either, and being crammed into a forced certification program neccessary to obtain this job. I completely understand and accept I need the certification, but I'm already just drowning in survival mode.

It is HARD**.** It's not because of the students, they are great. It's because of:

-shitty coteachers who don't even share lesson plans or communicate planning times, tho they are supposed to be the "lead"

-shitty coteachers who don't get they do ONE JOB (Theater=teaching/planning) and I do TWO or MORE (Theater + PAPERWORK)

-shitty coteachers who call it "their class" and some are honestly really bad teachers. One told me she wanted to move up to Honors, I think because she has zero classroom management. Classroom management takes a long time to learn. I'd give her credit if she at least TRIED! Nope. Her effort is focused on being "fun" and like "one" of the kids tho she's an adult

-shitty departments who don't want us in "their content," asking us if we did certain things we were supposed to, but of course no one told us, because it's a hard to staff role that we aren't even certified in. Of course a shitty coteacher doesn't tell us shit, and we can't even modify their lesson plan to differentiate it because they don't share it with us

-not knowing all the millions of deadlines of anything

-staff at school who are clearly neurotypical and get annoyed by me. I suck at remembering verbal directions. I have ADHD and also had cancer, which was not brain cancer or related to that but I feel my brain is a bit cooked after that whole experience and being on a daily chemoprevention medication

-going from a Title 1 school to a "boujee" school. I kind of hate it and don't fit in. It feels like Disneyland but fake. I prefer my Title 1 school where at least the teachers are tight and have each others backs

-I honestly was desperate for a job, having been laid off of my last one and massive cuts in my licensure area (multilingual learners).

-Having a hard time grappling with the lack of confident and feeling like a dumb a** every single day at work, and knowing I could be earning the same salary doing a job I'm already licensed in, and have to go through all of this sh*t just to eat and remain housed.

-I have NO LIFE and work 11 hours a day and commute one hour to school each day. I arrive an hour early every morning. Still drowning!! Still feel unwanted by my "coteacher" and one of my departments

- Happy "Weekend!" Drowning in work for a school where I kind of feel like a lot of people already can't stand me. My "coteacher" can't stand me because having me around highlights the fact she cannot teach. Staff can't stand me because my disability prevents me from retaining verbal information and it prob makes them feel I'm dumb or that I'm not listening.

-My goal for this year was to not gossip about anyone, but I broke that today but sharing with 2 colleagues some of the shit I'm dealing with with my coteacher bcus I am losing it.

What is even the point of this? How does anyone survive this?

I am suppose to start my final student teaching here in California for the Pk-3 credential. However, after recently working in a sped classroom I realized that I would like to work as a sped teacher with students ages 3-5. My university offers a credential for ECSE (early childhood special education) which seems perfect.

With so many changes happening in multiple districts, will it be hard to find sped preschool or Tk teaching positions? Would it be best to get a ESN (extensive supports need) credential instead? Or should I just finish the Pk-3 credential and later on try to add a sped credential?

Thanks in advance!

I am a Specialist for k-5 self contained classrooms. I rotate between doing music, art, and pe, activities. I see the students for about an hour everyday and there’s around 14 students that come down but that can sometimes be less depending on the day. I also have the support of about 5 paras but again this could fluctuate depending on if they are simply gone for the day, a student is having a behavior, bathrooming, etc.

I try my best to be pretty flexible with my paras since we have a lot of kids, they spend more of the day with them, and we with a wide range of abilities. That being said sometimes I feel like I’m too lax with them (and maybe myself?) At the start of the year I try to send out a paper describing each special and what I’m thinking it looks like. This year I’m also sending out a weekly email letting them know what we are doing each day in specials. I tend to follow a similar structured schedule for every class even if the specific activity changes.

I haven’t been assigning specific paras to specific kids because of the fact that there hasn’t been consistency in the past of who’s actually in the room to help. Instead I ask the paras day to day to help me run specific tasks. I work one on one with a student and they do activities with the students I’m not working with.

My only issue is I feel like there isn’t much being done. They are all super nice people and they aren’t like blowing me off it just seems like they aren’t really sure what to do sometimes or they are worried about behaviors so instead they just kinda let the kids be while they wander. (Which on occasion I’ll catch myself doing too when I’m observing students behaviors or trying to figure out student data information for other para’s so by no means am I perfect)

Is there something more I could be doing to be more explicit in my exceptions? Do I need to assign specific students to specific people? Maybe it’s just being more assertive? I thought about making a sheet everyday with student names and we document what activities that student did that day? I’m not sure but I’d love feedback. Since I’m not the main teacher the paras typically know the students better and what they’re capable of so I rely on them a lot. I just wanna make sure we (including myself) are doing the most and the best we can for our kiddos and aren’t just standing around while they do whatever.

I’m in year 5 and I am convinced nobody really knows what they are doing. Even the so called veteran teaches been doing it 20-35 years. The trick is to be confident and see what sticks. There is really never any true way to solve problems. All advice I get is just “we’ll see if this works” 9/10 times it doesn’t. Am I wrong?

So I just got a job as the new behavior support specialist in my district, it is also something they have NEVER done before. I totally feel like a fish out of water, no one seems to have any clear direction on what I do, and I’ve asked for support/guidance from my principal and she didn’t really help so I told my supervisor and she’s creating a plan for me. Does anyone have any similar experiences in a school setting not being totally sure what to do?

Co-teaching!! Give me the good, the bad, the ugly. What is your experience with co-teaching? This year I am “co-teaching” in 3 different math classes in a high school. I don’t have common planning with any of the teachers. I would say I do some actual teaching in 1/3 of the classes. The others I feel like a glorified aide just walking around and helping students.

I recently graduated from college with a special education degree but made the decision not to go the teaching route. I currently am an RBT looking to get a masters and become a BCBA. In the meantime I’m looking for other ways to use my degree and have been looking into any remote jobs related to special education that aren’t remote teaching. Does anyone have any recommendations or suggestions? I would love to hear if anyone has had any similar experiences and appreciate any help/advice!!

So, I’m a 6th year teacher. For the past 5 years I have taught self-contained preschoo. I decided I wanted to try a different area of special ed. I decided I wanted to try interrelated resource for elementary. I know resource is VERY different from what I was doing previously, but I am willing to work hard and learn.

During my interview for my current position, I asked about caseload size, planning time, testing time, mentors, etc. I was told I would have a dedicated hour of planning each day as well as an additional testing block (30 min- 1 hr). I also asked how they split the students (I was told they try to structure it as 1 IRR teacher per grade level). Obviously, I know some of these details are subject to change based on schedule and student needs, however, none of this has been true.

I am the only new person on the resource team ( I am 1 of 5). Everyone else has been in the role at least 3 years. Each of them gets 2 hours per day to plan and test students. For me, I get 10 minutes. No planning or break at all. I cover 4 grade levels (the rest of the team has 1-2). I have duty AM and PM. Also, one of the other teachers is part time intervention so I serve as the case manager for her students as well.

Sorry, I know this is long but I’m so stressed. I have no time to collaborate with teachers, prep/plan, or do any of my case management responsibilities. I want to resign but am under contract.

Should I voice my concerns to admin or am I being dramatic and this is just how it is in resource??

Hi!

I have a student who likes the feeling of being squeezed. However, he’s not much of a physical hugger and since we can’t sit and squeeze him all day. I’m trying to think of something he can wear that allows him to feel that sensation.

One of our therapists, has a machine she uses that lets them feel pressure during sessions. However this is only a weekly thing and for a few minutes at a time.

What can I use to give him this sensation? That isn’t a straitjacket.

My district has been through a lot of change over the last 6 years, and SPED has been a big point of contention both within the SPED circle and in the gen ed circle.

Last year we finally got SPED teachers and our TITLE teacher trained in O-G, and Title Reading support was switched to a model of 30 minutes daily in the Title teacher's classroom using O-G as well as another approved curriculum for assessment, data tracking, and instruction.

Gen Ed and Sped/Title all agreed this was a system that worked well for our students, and the growth we saw was absolutely amazing. Our Title teacher is incredible, she takes and organizes her data efficiently and effectively, and we were all so happy to have her and the system in place.

Cut to now. Our amazing principal quit at the last minute (district drama), and the new principal, who was a title teacher for 20 years back in the 2000s, insists that inclusion is best and wants Title to be push-in only, but that would mean only 1 classroom per week on a rotating basis.

I am not against inclusion. In fact, our SPED/resource program was also revamped where inclusion was the goal and the focus, but on a case-by-case basis where the needs of the students could be met appropriately in both settings. So, a small number of kids were in a more self-contained setting due to their more intensive needs to build skills that would set them up for success in a gen ed classroom, and inclusion was phased in with a very purposeful plan and data to back it up.

We don't ask the speech or OT specialists to do their interventions in the classroom--why are we expecting the title teacher to do so? OR our other high-impacted kiddos who need a lot of explicit, robust support to gain and master the skills needed for successful integration?

I guess I feel like I'm missing something. While inclusion is "best", how is 30 minutes of push-in once per week going to be more effective than daily 30 minutes in a small group setting? My kids LOVED going to reading club and bragged about it. Our Title teacher is AMAZING and the kids loved being there. The data speaks for itself re: how effective she was.

They didn't miss out on core instruction. Title time was always during "centers" where kids would be rotating through some independent work tasks and I would also be working in small groups for data collection and some targeted practice.

Our new principal just won't hear of it. Am I wrong? Am I an ogre because I think our pull-out model was more effective and better for our kids?

I have a 9th grade self-contained SPED class with about 15 students. Now I’m first-year special education teacher. And I feel like I’m in for such a rough year. At first I wasn’t too concerned about the class size (I didn’t know any better since it’s my first year), but now that I have had a chance to talk with other teachers and thanks to some Reddit users, I have realized that I have too many kids in a self-contained class considering that I have no paras and I am the only adult in the room. I’m starting to feel very angry. Now that I’m starting content with my class I understand why other more experienced teachers at my school have been surprised by the size of the class, as the need for a para or dedicated aid is becoming more evident. I’m worried about doing myself and the kids a disservice this school year, especially since I teach a tested subject.

This is my first year doing push-in math support at the high school level. I am wondering besides tests and quizzes, how should I best support my students?

Does anyone else do push-in services for high school and if so can you give me some guidance on what that should look like for other subjects as well.

Thanks and happy back to school!

I need advice!

I currently work with a student whose target behavior includes being unprepared for class everyday. We have tried visuals in the locker and desk, as well as using color coded binders/folders and a trapper keeper to keep everything in. It still happens and we constantly have to get things for the student or check to make sure they have everything once they are in class. does anyone have any other ideas as to what might help my student?

I’m a DHH teacher (deaf and hard of hearing). It’s my first year and I’m at a new school. I’m on a provisional license and I feel so defeated. I have no help and everyone is treating me like I’m stupid. I had to pull outs today with 4th grade students. I wasn’t prepared because I’m behind of everything due to starting late and missing a lot of trainings.. but I did a lesson with them today but forgot to go over the contents of the digital lesson. The assistant teacher was snickering at me and even texted the other teacher to come to the class so she could come laugh too.. it’s heart breaking instead of them supporting me they laugh and poke fun behind my back. We’re supposed to be a team but I feel bullied. I’ve reverted to not speaking to anyone and keeping to myself. It shouldn’t be like this.. I don’t understand why they would work against me when we are all there for the kids. I cried like 3 times today and I feel completely defeated. Sorry for the rant. I know I’m good with kids .. Ive been working with them for 90% of my adult life..and I have a passion to help but I don’t deserve this.. I really don’t.

I have been working in the intellectually and developmentally disabled community for 12 years now. I began volunteering in a classroom in high school, I volunteered for the summer school aid programs, I’ve worked as an RBT, an ILS instructor for an adult program, a para, a respite caregiver, and a support professional. I have worked specifically with the autistic community for the majority of this time and love it.
Working with parents has been a hurdle for me personally due to a variety of reasons and that has held me back from pursuing a Master’s degree or teaching credential (I’ve experienced parents calling their child the R slur, wishing their child had a different disability, enabling behavior, reinforcing SIB, etc). I should add that I’m also autistic and that makes some of these situations with parents harder for me due to issues with perspective and I’m completely aware of that. I can understand accidentally reinforcing SIB just to make it stop, but blatant neglect and abuse is where I struggle the most. I currently am a para and I enjoy the classroom setting immensely, but it doesn’t pay. Are there any others out there who have/had the same struggles I do and does anyone have advice for a possible career?

So I am a first-year special education teacher in a high school, and I have a self contained class of about 15 kids. 90% of the kids are boys. I have two kids who do nothing but distract others in the class, and a few more kids who prefer to do their work independently (which is fine, I check their work periodically throughout the class). Right now it is impossible to teach the class as a whole group. So rather than doing “whole group” teaching I pull a small group to one side of the classroom (of students who want to finish their work, this small group is usually about half the class, it excludes the students working independently and the ones doing the distracting) and teach that group of students leaving the 2 students who are doing nothing to continue distracting themselves and each other. This allows me to teach the students who want to work and pass the class, and the ones who don’t want to work will earn the grade they get.

I kind of feel bad though because as the teacher, I kind of feel like I should be doing more (maybe in terms of classroom management) to get the 2 outlier students to focus and concentrate. And also this strategy that I’m currently using to teach probably won’t go over super well if I’m observed.

Am I wrong for doing this? I do think things will change we’re only in like the second week of school. And maybe in the future I can do some whole-group teaching.

Hi everyone, I just got hired as a Special Education Aide. I have no background in special education, I come from primarily being a caregiver for elderly folk and being an EMT. What should I expect? How can I be helpful to teachers and students? What are some things I should work on before I start? I can't wait to start working

I've been hired by a parent to help her child with chromosome deletion. Does anyone have experience with teaching children with this condition to read? I'm an Orton-Gillingham specialist, and the mom is interested in my helping the child, despite the fact that I'm not certified in Special Education. I have successfully taught a boy with level 2 autism to read at grade level, but I'm not an expert. I'm looking for personal accounts of what worked for you? EdMark? Orton-Gillingham? Something else? Please let me know if you have personal experience with this!

I spend 4 hours “coteaching. In 4 different classrooms. As in I walk around the room and assist the students. I have no desk. The teachers give me zero input, and when I try and “coteach” I am literally talked over by the Gen Ed teachers.
(They aren’t even rude I think they just have no idea how to handle another adult being in the room… plus no common plan time)

My small group classes are in a room in the basement. I have 14 students, in the smallest room in the school. I have no para but that is probably because a para physically wouldn’t fit. I have no shelf space for supplies, my white board is literally peeling from the wall, there are hot pipes I was told not to let the students touch etc.

The rest of the classrooms are extremely nice, the teachers have closets, desks, work areas, libraries for the students etc.

I teach ELA and don’t have room for a book shelf. I also teach math and have zero room to work with students. The fire code on the door says max capacity is 21, so I know it’s “legal” but it’s so non credible to learning. There are tiny windows and peeling paint, broken outlets, no phone, a utility closet in the room etc. The other classrooms have flags. We have a tiny little banner.

Yes I’m just bitching. But also, I cannot believe it is considered okay to put the students in this environment?! We have open house tonight and I cannot WAIT for parents reactions to the conditions their students are learning in.

I am in the process of becoming a teacher. I would prefer to teach special education for mild intervention. However, I use a rollator, and I am concerned that I would be turned down for positions based on physical requirements. I have arthritis in a weird spot, so I just need it for standing or walking for long periods. I am actually faster in my rollator than most people walking. Is my concern legitimate?