May 23, 2025 • 7 mins
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.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to Special Educators Resource Room.
I'm your host, jennifer fromPositively Learning.
Today, we're going to betalking about something we could
all use a little more of time.
More specifically, I'm sharinga simple shift that you can make
this week.
It's going to save you time,reduce last minute scrambling
and give you a sense of control,even when everything else feels
(00:23):
a little chaotic.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
a sense of control, even when everything else feels
a little chaotic.
Hey, special educators, I'mJennifer from Positively
Learning.
Welcome to the SpecialEducators Resource Room.
If you're like me, you'realways looking for ways to save
time and streamline your work.
That's why this podcast wascreated to give you the systems
and solutions you need to getyour time back.
(00:46):
Tune in for tips, tricks andtools that will help you manage
your workload and make the mostof your time.
Whether you're brand new orexperienced, all are welcome in
the Special Educators ResourceRoom.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Today we're going to be talking about one time-saving
tip that you can use this weekto save time.
It isn't a complex system.
It's not a color-coded planneror a magical app that promises
to streamline your workload.
It's something I started doinga few years ago and once it
clicked, I never looked back.
But first let me set the scene.
You've probably been herebefore, but first let me set the
(01:22):
scene.
You've probably been herebefore.
It's Friday afternoon, yourbrain is fried, the copier is
jammed for the third time todayand in the back of your head
you're thinking I shouldprobably prep for next week.
Or maybe it's Monday morningand you've walked in ready to
(01:42):
tackle this week, only torealize that you forgot to print
math centers, the behaviorchart needs updating and your
first IEP meeting starts in 20minutes.
Does this sound familiar?
Because this was me.
Week after week, I was relyingon Fridays and Mondays for prep,
which meant I was oftenstressed, reactive and one
forgotten stack of copies awayfrom a disaster.
(02:04):
So I made one simple change Imoved my prep day to Wednesday
and I hope you heard that Prepday, not days why Wednesdays
work.
Now I know Wednesdays might notsound revolutionary, but please
hang with me.
When I started doing the coreprep tasks like copying,
(02:26):
laminating, updating materials,reviewing next week's IEPs on
Wednesdays, three thingshappened.
Number one I got some clarityby Wednesday.
I'd seen how the week was goingso I wasn't guessing what I'd
need.
I knew If a student was flyingthrough math fluency, I knew to
(02:46):
prep the next level, if thesmall reading groups needed a
new anchor activity, I had timeto adjust.
Number two why Wednesdaysworked it was giving me a buffer
.
If I didn't get everything onWednesday done, I wasn't going
to panic.
I had Thursday or even Fridaymorning to catch up.
That never really happened whenI relied on Fridays alone.
(03:09):
And the third reason whyWednesdays worked, and probably
my favorite, I stopped startingoff the week in a rush Because
when Mondays rolled around, Ialready had most of the
materials ready to go.
It changed my whole vibebecause I wasn't reacting.
I was already in control.
(03:30):
So here's how you can test thistime-saving strategy out for
yourself.
Number one designate a prepblock on Wednesday, even if it's
just 20 to 30 minutes.
Do you have any time beforeschool, after school, during a
PLC, during a planning period orwhile students are working
independently?
(03:50):
Step two grab a folder, bin,basket or clipboard and label it
to prep or to copy.
Keep this in a visible spot asyou realize what you need,
whether it's fresh data sheets,extra number cards or Monday's
adapted book.
Drop it in that bin.
(04:10):
No more sticky notes all overyour desk.
And the third step to save youtime batch those tasks On
Wednesday.
Pull out that bin and knockthem out.
Print, copy, laminate, cutwhatever you've got.
Don't overthink it, just focuson getting the most important
things ready.
(04:31):
And here's a bonus tip In thelast podcast episode episode 128
, we talked about taking onething off your special educator
plate and delegating.
This is a great opportunity todelegate.
Do you have anybody who couldhelp you?
Even just 10 minutes ofdowntime midweek?
(04:51):
Maybe they could take over yourcopy basket or help with prep
Could be just restocking centers, cutting Velcro, reassembling
task cards.
They're going to be saving youtime and it's also going to help
them feel like a true partnerin your classroom.
Such a simple strategy.
But let's talk about whathappens when you do this.
(05:11):
You're going to start to feel ashift almost immediately
because you're not going to beprepping in panic mode, you're
not going to be printing whilestudents are walking in the door
and you're not going to bespending Sunday night wondering
what Monday is going to looklike.
Instead, you've already takencare of it on Wednesday.
So let's talk about momentum.
(05:34):
This may be the biggest thingto take away from this podcast
episode.
You do not need a brand newsystem to save you time.
You just need a simple routinethat's going to fit into your
actual week, not your ideal week.
Wednesday prep is not flashy, itdoesn't look like a color-coded
(05:55):
checklist or going viral onInstagram, but it works and it's
sustainable and it's going tobuild momentum because it's not
overwhelming.
So when you start stackingsmall wins like this, you're
going to be creating more spacein your day for the things that
really matter, like supportingyour students, collaborating
(06:15):
with others or even just takinga moment for yourself.
This one tiny shift can make ahuge difference in how you feel
heading into the work week, andif you try it out, I would love
to hear from you.
You can always send me a DM onInstagram at Positively Learning
.
And if you're loving thesetime-saving strategies, don't
forget to check out the TaskboxDollar Club and the Complete
(06:38):
Independent Work Club, becausethese are designed to give you
your time back with so manyready-to-use tools and systems
that just work.
Thanks for spending your timewith me today.
I'll talk to you next week inthe Special Educators Resource
Room in the Special EducatorsResource Room.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Thanks so much for tuning in, and I'm dying to ask
what'd you think?
Be sure to hit the follow orsubscribe buttons so that you
never miss an episode.
You can find the show notes andlinks for everything mentioned
in this episode atpositivelylearningblogcom.
See you next week for morespecial education solutions.
Welcome back to Special Educators Resource Room.
I'm your host, jennifer fromPositively Learning.
Today, we're going to betalking about something we could
all use a little more of time.
More specifically, I'm sharinga simple shift that you can make
this week.
It's going to save you time,reduce last minute scrambling
and give you a sense of control,even when everything else feels
(00:23):
a little chaotic.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
a sense of control, even when everything else feels
a little chaotic.
Hey, special educators, I'mJennifer from Positively
Learning.
Welcome to the SpecialEducators Resource Room.
If you're like me, you'realways looking for ways to save
time and streamline your work.
That's why this podcast wascreated to give you the systems
and solutions you need to getyour time back.
(00:46):
Tune in for tips, tricks andtools that will help you manage
your workload and make the mostof your time.
Whether you're brand new orexperienced, all are welcome in
the Special Educators ResourceRoom.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
Today we're going to be talking about one time-saving
tip that you can use this weekto save time.
It isn't a complex system.
It's not a color-coded planneror a magical app that promises
to streamline your workload.
It's something I started doinga few years ago and once it
clicked, I never looked back.
But first let me set the scene.
You've probably been herebefore, but first let me set the
(01:22):
scene.
You've probably been herebefore.
It's Friday afternoon, yourbrain is fried, the copier is
jammed for the third time todayand in the back of your head
you're thinking I shouldprobably prep for next week.
Or maybe it's Monday morningand you've walked in ready to
(01:42):
tackle this week, only torealize that you forgot to print
math centers, the behaviorchart needs updating and your
first IEP meeting starts in 20minutes.
Does this sound familiar?
Because this was me.
Week after week, I was relyingon Fridays and Mondays for prep,
which meant I was oftenstressed, reactive and one
forgotten stack of copies awayfrom a disaster.
(02:04):
So I made one simple change Imoved my prep day to Wednesday
and I hope you heard that Prepday, not days why Wednesdays
work.
Now I know Wednesdays might notsound revolutionary, but please
hang with me.
When I started doing the coreprep tasks like copying,
(02:26):
laminating, updating materials,reviewing next week's IEPs on
Wednesdays, three thingshappened.
Number one I got some clarityby Wednesday.
I'd seen how the week was goingso I wasn't guessing what I'd
need.
I knew If a student was flyingthrough math fluency, I knew to
(02:46):
prep the next level, if thesmall reading groups needed a
new anchor activity, I had timeto adjust.
Number two why Wednesdaysworked it was giving me a buffer
.
If I didn't get everything onWednesday done, I wasn't going
to panic.
I had Thursday or even Fridaymorning to catch up.
That never really happened whenI relied on Fridays alone.
(03:09):
And the third reason whyWednesdays worked, and probably
my favorite, I stopped startingoff the week in a rush Because
when Mondays rolled around, Ialready had most of the
materials ready to go.
It changed my whole vibebecause I wasn't reacting.
I was already in control.
(03:30):
So here's how you can test thistime-saving strategy out for
yourself.
Number one designate a prepblock on Wednesday, even if it's
just 20 to 30 minutes.
Do you have any time beforeschool, after school, during a
PLC, during a planning period orwhile students are working
independently?
(03:50):
Step two grab a folder, bin,basket or clipboard and label it
to prep or to copy.
Keep this in a visible spot asyou realize what you need,
whether it's fresh data sheets,extra number cards or Monday's
adapted book.
Drop it in that bin.
(04:10):
No more sticky notes all overyour desk.
And the third step to save youtime batch those tasks On
Wednesday.
Pull out that bin and knockthem out.
Print, copy, laminate, cutwhatever you've got.
Don't overthink it, just focuson getting the most important
things ready.
(04:31):
And here's a bonus tip In thelast podcast episode episode 128
, we talked about taking onething off your special educator
plate and delegating.
This is a great opportunity todelegate.
Do you have anybody who couldhelp you?
Even just 10 minutes ofdowntime midweek?
(04:51):
Maybe they could take over yourcopy basket or help with prep
Could be just restocking centers, cutting Velcro, reassembling
task cards.
They're going to be saving youtime and it's also going to help
them feel like a true partnerin your classroom.
Such a simple strategy.
But let's talk about whathappens when you do this.
(05:11):
You're going to start to feel ashift almost immediately
because you're not going to beprepping in panic mode, you're
not going to be printing whilestudents are walking in the door
and you're not going to bespending Sunday night wondering
what Monday is going to looklike.
Instead, you've already takencare of it on Wednesday.
So let's talk about momentum.
(05:34):
This may be the biggest thingto take away from this podcast
episode.
You do not need a brand newsystem to save you time.
You just need a simple routinethat's going to fit into your
actual week, not your ideal week.
Wednesday prep is not flashy, itdoesn't look like a color-coded
(05:55):
checklist or going viral onInstagram, but it works and it's
sustainable and it's going tobuild momentum because it's not
overwhelming.
So when you start stackingsmall wins like this, you're
going to be creating more spacein your day for the things that
really matter, like supportingyour students, collaborating
(06:15):
with others or even just takinga moment for yourself.
This one tiny shift can make ahuge difference in how you feel
heading into the work week, andif you try it out, I would love
to hear from you.
You can always send me a DM onInstagram at Positively Learning
.
And if you're loving thesetime-saving strategies, don't
forget to check out the TaskboxDollar Club and the Complete
(06:38):
Independent Work Club, becausethese are designed to give you
your time back with so manyready-to-use tools and systems
that just work.
Thanks for spending your timewith me today.
I'll talk to you next week inthe Special Educators Resource
Room in the Special EducatorsResource Room.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Thanks so much for tuning in, and I'm dying to ask
what'd you think?
Be sure to hit the follow orsubscribe buttons so that you
never miss an episode.
You can find the show notes andlinks for everything mentioned
in this episode atpositivelylearningblogcom.
See you next week for morespecial education solutions.
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