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...

Teaching Social Skills in a Small Group Setting Teaching the Social Skill Earlier in my career, I was guilty of Social IEP goal data collection being a "gotcha." There always seemed to be more minuses than plusses. I have realized over time that my mistake was not being intentional with the way the skills were TAUGHT. I don't know how I thought students would perform a skill that they weren't taught. Also, it always seemed I caught students NOT performing the skill, rather than noticing when they did not engage in the target behavior. Now, I try to be intentional about HOW to teach the skill and then collecting data following instruction. No more gotcha! Like with all IEP goals, how the skill is taught depends on the student. For example, in a self-contained classroom, I may give a scenario (hypothetical, or it may have really happened) and then show photos of possible solutions in a field of 2 or 3. The student would use the visual supports to select an appropriate ...

 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...