Living the Speducator Dream

 A Love Letter to DonorsChoose (Unsponsored!) I have created 9 projects through DonorsChoose, and ALL 9 were fully funded! The truth is that students with disabilities require special tools. Though my principal allots $200 per year for instructional supplies and resources, this money goes quickly. When I started in my current position 4 years ago, I had big visions for what I wanted students to have access to, including sensory and academic tools. Those 9 projects were funded between September 2022 and September 2023. (Not long after the final project was funded, I learned that my district does not approve of teachers submitting projects through DonorsChoose, so I stopped creating projects.) However, I'd like to share some of what I learned from the process. If your district allows use of DonorsChoose, PLEASE take advantage. What a fantastic resource! *One quick note is that all supplies  must stay at the school, even after the teacher leaves. But in my mind, this is ok! Stude...

 REINFORCEMENT VS. BREAKS - PART 2 REINFORCEMENT  In Part 1 , I explained my hot take that an effective special educator would never take away breaks from a student as a consequence. Students should never EARN breaks. Breaks are a regulation tool. Students MAY earn reinforcers.  Here is a general overview of how to structure reinforcement within a special education classroom. Student "rules" should be tied to IEP social or behavior goals If a student has a social or behavior goal for an identified area of growth, there is no reason to create a reinforcement system for a totally different skill.  Likewise, narrow the focus of behaviors you're trying to modify. (A student typically would never have 5 rules! I like to keep it to 2-3, but this is predetermined by how many IEP goals the student has.) Reinforcement tied to student rules Students may be aware of the social or behavior skills they're working on. Love that! Bonus points if they're self-monitoring their pro...

REINFORCEMENT VS. BREAKS - PART 1 BREAKS Over time, I've heard well-meaning special educators confuse reinforcement with scheduled breaks with leisure breaks with heavy work breaks, with language used interchangeably. In my opinion, they aren't the same.  Students don't EARN breaks.  An effective special educator wouldn't take a break away from a student as a consequence. My hope is to explain how they are different so that special educators can then communicate clear expectations to students. Behavior modification will not happen if students don't understand expectations. Worse yet, students often don't trust adults who are not consistent in enforcing expectations. A caveat here is that these strategies are most easily implemented in an elementary or middle/high self-contained setting. It is possible for them to happen in resource with older students, but requires more coordination with school staff. Another caveat is the adult support required - like we have e...