New Year... New Expectations and Goals

As always, New Years are about creating resolutions, goals and new expectations. As a Special Education teacher, I look at it as a new way to challenge your class, your students, and your expectations for your class. 

We can all agree that there are many challenges happening in our classroom. Along with these lines there are so many things that are out of our control. But as we enter the new year, I want you to stop and think of the things you CAN control. Your classroom is the first place to begin.

As a classroom teacher, I always looked at New Year as a midpoint of the year but also a mini new year. For some reason, our special needs students begin to display changes after December!! It is almost like a light bulb turns on for many and routines start making sense.

Yes I know... it took 2 semesters or quarters to get there... but it got there! So... why not challenge your students to the next level, the next expectation. Rethink some of the things that are happening in your classroom. Here are some things I did in January. Now I won't count the first 2 weeks, because after any break or days off... students always need routine reminders as they show some regression or simply forgot what it was like in my classroom! But after some classroom management, reinforcements, and consistent routines, you should be able to get back to your class flow. 

Here are some new goals for your class and your students:

• Push their schedules to the next level. (Example: 2X2 visual icons to smaller icons with bigger words or if they are ready to move to a word schedule in a folder rather than the schedule station) 

• Assistants and Paraprofessionals: After 1/2 a year in the classroom, just like students, we all learn the routines. It is time to delegate a new responsibility to your staff of established routines, this way you can focus creating new challenges and lessons. Expect more! Granted, by now, you should have a more solid relationship with your classroom staff. IF NOT... this is the time to think of ways to build that relationship. It is vital to have a good relationship with your classroom staff. You will get so much more done TOGETHER!

• Centers: Look at your centers (Individually... don't tackle all the centers at once). What can you change or what can you add to augment the rigor in the center. Or if you don't want to change it, what can you add to push your students to be more independent? Maybe, just organize it better or add visuals. 

• Adult support: How can you fade adult support and push for more independent routines. Example: A student who needed toileting adult support, maybe the adults always grabbed the pull up, the wipes, helps with clothing garments... now you are going to ask the student to do some of these things. Or maybe before you guided the student to the bathroom... now you will give them a visual or verbal cue to go to the restroom.

• ​Calendar Time/Circle Time: If your students have learned the routine and know it by heart... it is time for a change! Change the lessons, increase the academic content, change the songs and more importantly EXPECT MORE. 

January is always a great time to take things to the next level! New Year... New Goals!

Here is the podcast. You can listen while you drive!