Special Educators Resource Room Podcast: Real Talk for Special Education Teachers

If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks, and resources to save you precious time, I've got you covered! I'm here to help you regain your confidence in the classroom and feel calm and collected as a special educator.

Tune in every Friday for practical tips, tools, and the support you need to to THRIVE in the classroom.

Grab your FREE Special Educators Cheat Sheets at positivelylearningblog.c...

You know small-group instruction matters. But what is the rest of the class supposed to be doing while you’re actually teaching that small group?

In this episode, we’re talking about what needs to be in place so you can actually sit down, teach a small group, and trust that the rest of your students know what to do—without needing you every two minutes.

Task Box Club and Independent Work Club: 

https://positivel...

When your back-to-school plan isn’t going to plan, it doesn’t mean you need to start over. In this episode, we’re talking about what the first month of school can teach you about classroom routines, student needs, independent work, and special education systems.

Learn how to use those first few weeks as data—not a verdict—so you can make small adjustments, build student independence, and create classroo...

Ep. 92: Scheduling Tips for Special Educators

Task Box Club and Independent Work Club: 

https://positivelylearningblog.com/task-boxes-for-special-educators/

If you're a busy special education teacher looking for tips, tricks, and resources to save you precious time, I've got you covered! I'm here to help you regain your confidence in the classroom and feel calm and collected as a special educator.

Tune in every Friday for ...

A detailed paraprofessional handbook can be a helpful reference—but it probably isn’t what your support staff needs most during the first week of school.

In this episode, I’m sharing the four things I would prioritize instead: a few specific phrases to use, a quick classroom walkthrough, clear expectations for student independence, and one simple way to ask for help when they’re unsure.

We&rsqu...

Your students don’t automatically know how your classroom works — even when the activities are ready.

In this episode, we’re talking about four routines to explicitly teach during the first two weeks of school, from getting started and asking for help to finishing and transitioning.

Because repetition isn’t a sign the routine isn’t working. Repetition is the plan.

Check out the Task Box Club and Independe...

If your back-to-school prep list keeps getting longer, this episode is your permission to make it shorter.

I’m sharing 3 things I would NOT prep before the first day of school — and what I’d spend that time on instead.

Because you don’t need to prep the whole year before you’ve even met this year’s students.

Prep the system. Not the year.

Task Box Club and Independent Work Club are linked in the show...

In this final episode of the Build Your Independent Work System Before Back-to-School series, I'm walking you through the five questions every teacher should answer before launching independent work with students.

Plus, I'll share what to realistically expect during the first two weeks of school—and why you don't need 100 tasks to build a successful independent work routine.

Remember: You don't need more materials. You need one...

Do your small groups keep getting interrupted by students who won't get started, stop working halfway through, or constantly ask for help?

Those interruptions aren't random—they're giving you valuable information about what's working (and what's not) in your classroom routines.

In this episode, I'll walk you through the five most common student behaviors I look for while teaching a small group and explain what e...

Can your classroom keep learning while you're teaching a small group?

In this episode, we're putting your independent work system to the test. I'll share why independent work was never about keeping students busy in my resource room—it was about making every learning minute count. Then we'll walk through a simple five-minute "Small Group Test" to help you identify exactly where your system is strong and where it still ...

Build Your Independent Work System - Week 6 of Special Educators Summer Series

Setting up an independent work system is only half the job—students need to be taught how to use it. In this episode, Jennifer shares a simple four-step teaching sequence that helps students build independence, reduces prompt dependence, and creates consistent routines for both students and paraprofessionals. 

Learn how slowing down at the begin...

If your students are constantly asking, "What's next?" or support staff isn't sure how independent work should flow, this episode is for you. 

This is Week 5 of the Special Educators Summer Series and we're covering the K in the TASKS Framework: Keep It Consistent. You'll learn the five simple components that help students move through independent work with confidence while giving paraprofessionals, substitutes, and student tea...

There is a difference between a task a student can do and a task a student can do independently.

Most classroom activities are designed for the first. Independent work requires the second.

In this episode, we're talking about one of the most important parts of building an independent work system: setting up the task itself.

Every independent task needs three things:

• A clear start
• A clear work signal
• A clear finish

This week'...

Special Educators Summer Series Week 3 - What You Actually Need to Build the Tasks. We're in the TASKS Framework. Last week was the T — Think it through — and your homework was three priority skills written down before you searched for a single material. Today is the A. Access your materials.

Be sure to follow along the teacher summer series at Positively Learning on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FR0bpZ27pNw

If you're a busy ...

Most teachers build independent work by finding things that look good. This episode is about doing it the other way around — starting with the skills your students actually need, before you open TPT or search for a single material.

This is the T in the TASKS Framework: Think it through.

In this episode:

• Why starting with activities instead of skills is what keeps independent work from ever really sticking
• Five questions to as...

If independent work keeps falling apart in your classroom, this episode is for you.

Many special educators assume they need better activities, more task boxes, or more resources.

But most independent work problems aren't actually material problems.

They're system problems.

In this episode, we're kicking off the Special Educators Summer Series by looking at where independent work usually breaks down and how to identify the first leak in...

End-of-Year Classroom This or That

Today’s episode is a lighter end-of-year conversation all about classroom “this or that” choices in special education classrooms.

We’re walking through a few end-of-year teacher opinions, routines, and classroom decisions that can either make this season feel calmer… or accidentally make it harder.

Inside this episode:

🟡 Teacher-led classroom pack-up vs. students helpin...

The end of the school year reveals a lot about how a classroom is really functioning.

In this episode, we’re talking about what late May behavior, routines, and classroom energy might actually be telling you — especially in special education classrooms where so much depends on structure and predictability.

Inside this episode:

🟡 Why some routines are still working (even when everyone is tired)
🟡 What end-of-year exhau...

This month, Task Box Club turns 4 years old 🎂

In this episode, I’m reflecting on:

• how the club started
• what independent work looked like in my classroom years ago
• the evolution of the club over the last 4 years
• funny and nostalgic moments along the way
• and the biggest lessons teachers have taught me about building more independent classrooms.

We’re also celebrating all week long inside Task Box Club with:
✔ 100+ n...