Tips for A First Year Teacher in Special Education

I’m excited to introduce this week’s guest blogger: Kate from Engaging Exceptional Learners to talk all about tips for a first year teacher! Kate is a second year teacher in Canada who has worked in the field of ABA for 5 years. She has a degree in autism and behavior science.

Kate is also on TeachersPayTeachers here!

I wanted to provide you with some things to think about no matter what year you’re in, but especially for those first-year teachers or if it’s your first year teacher in Special Education. 

Overwhelming

It is very easy to get overwhelmed, especially with all of these new changes to teaching. Take a moment to step back and gain perspective. It’s easy to get frustrated with behaviour, with parents or with other teachers. But keep in mind they are going through this too and may be dealing with a lot.  We all were a first year teacher at one time.

Start small

Take each day one step at a time. Everyone realizes around you that you are a first year teacher. Behavior isn’t going to magically change overnight, it takes time! Pick one small thing to implement, take data and see how it goes. For example, I noticed a shift in my students’ behaviour, so I printed and laminated token boards and implemented it with the whole class. After a week, I began to see simple changes.

Build a team

If you are anything like me, you will try to do it all. As a first year teacher, your EAs/support staff/paras are there to help! Find a way to bring you together and create a team atmosphere. We constantly surprise each other with treats, write positive notes or encourage each other through those challenging behaviours. Also developing some sort of routine where each person has responsibility (i.e. changing visual schedules, communication books, cleaning toys). 

Pivot and change

Just like our school year that has changed from opening to closing schools, it’s okay to change. Your students’ behaviour changes and we can change, it’s important to go with it! Re-arranging day plans, changing how to track data and adapting work for our students is all part of the job! I have changed my day plans 10x this year and that’s okay! It’s all part of the learning process. 

Implement things to promote independence

Think about things your students can do to alleviate some of the things you need to do and in turn create independence. For example, learning to file work, adjusting visual schedules, classroom jobs, cleaning the room. From these classroom tasks, students can easily be reinforced (boost self-confidence) and learn some life skills (create independence).  

It does not show weakness! It makes you more of a team player and allows you to connect with your colleagues. I have asked people to share their day plans, perspective on behaviour, data tracking and so much more! You learn from it and adapt it to make it your own!

HAVE FUN!

Enjoy every minute of it! At times it may seem overwhelming – take a step back, take time for yourself and keep trying new ways! Nothing it perfect, what matters is that you keep on trying, learning and growing – it’s only year one as a first year teacher! 

Read more about how to get you started at the beginning of your school year here as a first year teacher!

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