Today’s blog post is a guest post written by Kaylan Long of Caffeinated Behavior Change. She is a school district behavior specialist and BCBA who supports classroom teachers and students in special education. She shares all about the what and why of staff training in a Special Ed Class.
Continue reading “The What and Why of Staff Training in a Special Ed Class”Tag: special education classroom
Welcome to the first post in a new series I have dubbed, ABA in the classroom. My goal is to share some ABA concepts and knowledge with you as well as how you can implement these strategies in your classroom. I hear so often from teachers that they aren’t allowed to use ABA and that blows my mind! We use so many ABA concepts every day without even realizing it. There are many many districts and staff that think discrete trials at the table are the only way to use ABA and that simply isn’t true. So here is your first post on ABA in the Classroom: Chaining.
Continue reading “ABA in the Classroom: Chaining”
Tips for Restructuring a Special Education Program
2019-2020 was a year of many firsts for me. It was my first year in middle school, my first year sharing students with a co-teacher, first year only teaching 2 content areas, first year back in an alternative curriculum program, and so many more. I was given a unique opportunity in that both my partner teacher and I were new to the program. We had the opportunity to build our program from the ground up eliminating all sense of “it’s always been done this way”. I wanted to share with you 5 tips that I have learned from going through this process. Continue reading “4 Tips for Restructuring a Special Education Program”
A friend of mine suggested that I share my story of how I got my BCBA certification. I’ve shared bits and pieces over the past year and a half on my instagram account, but word limits always seem to get in the way. I had the opportunity to be a guest on a podcast and share another little piece of the story and so it just feels like it is the right time to share it all… every nitty gritty detail. It’s not a fairy tale story by any means. It’s real, raw, and relatable (I hope) for others out there. So buckle up y’all…. this is a long one.
Continue reading “My Journey to Board Certified Behavior Analyst”We’ve all heard the horror stories of teachers being driven out of their classrooms and out of the education field because of student behavior! It seems like these stories are popping up across social media more and more these days and it can be so scary as a new teacher. While I don’t have a perfect solution or a one size fits all approach, I have found that a systematic and structured approach to classroom management can make sure that you avoid a classroom that looks like this…. Yikes right?!?!
If you work in special education, chances are that you have at least been a witness to a major behavior incident or even been part of a school wide crisis team. This is the part of our job that no one wants to talk about, but it is extremely important that we do. We shouldn’t shy away from the difficult conversations because they are uncomfortable. I’ve even heard teachers complain about administrators or parents who ask “Is there anything that could’ve been done differently?” And honestly… I hated that too for so so long! I wanted to shout “NO!” because I took it as them questioning my ability to do my job rather than asking me to reflect on the situation for the next time.
Reflection on one’s teaching practices is the hallmark of any good teacher. It shouldn’t begin and end with lesson plans. We should be extending this to all areas of our teaching craft because lets face it, the actual teaching method is such a small portion of what we do. When I really started to think about it, I realized that these were not judgmental questions. How else are we to change our approach if things are not working well unless we incorporate reflection into our process? In 2018, I began asking myself 4 questions after each event and it has transformed my approach to behavior incidents and the aftermath.
Continue reading “4 Questions to Ask Yourself After Every Student Crisis”
We all have those days right? Those days where nothing goes right in the classroom and we have to scrap the plans to manage behavior or because our students don’t have the skills needed to continue on. Those days where you go home and want to crawl in bed and never come back out. Am I alone in this? I hope and pray that those days are far and few between. I know especially now in the COVID era of teaching it can be so hard to maintain a positive attitude. If you are feeling lost, overwhelmed, unhappy, or extremely stressed, it might be time to revamp your self-care routine.
Self-care has been something I’ve had to really work at over the past few years. I struggle with mental health disorders that can often be made worse when I am not partaking in self care strategies. I am by no means perfect, but I have come to realize these strategies are useful in helping to prevent burn out.
Continue reading “10 Tips for Taking Care of You”