First Year Special Education Teacher Tips

Six Things I Wish I Knew

Maybe you could relate to this- I graduated from my undergrad program and went straight into my masters studies, and I thought I had it figured out. I thought I was going to breeze through my first year as a special education teacher.

I could recite legal mandates for IEP timelines, I could tell you the difference between accommodations and modifications with confidence, and I was fresh off my student teaching experience that was amazing and inspiring. But nothing prepared me for the feeling when I first took over my very own classroom and suddenly all the decisions and deadlines were on my shoulders. I was overwhelmed with the amount of work I had to do to start the school year, and I had 0 clue how to set up systems and routines that would make my students successful from day 1. I certainly didn’t know how to manage a paraprofessional staff of 8, and I definitely wasn’t feeling confident to face parents in IEP meetings and convince them that I was the best person for the job. 

These were realistic anxieties for a first year teacher. But you know what wasn’t? The anxieties I self-inflicted on myself to compete with the classroom next door. You all know the one. The teacher who’s room seems to just magically come prepped with matching bulletin board borders and coordinating book bins and even fake plants. Guys, there was a teacher in my building that year that had a Rae Dunn theme. Seriously. And then little old me inherited a classroom with 20 years worth of stuff in it that I couldn’t make sense of, let alone decorate. We used to have rotating meetings of all the special education teachers in the district and when it was my turn to host, I was so embarrassed I would hide junk in the students’ cubbies and pray no one would ask to see them! When I tell you I stressed about how my classroom looked compared to others- believe me I was mortified.

It wasn’t just that my room didn’t look pretty. I felt like I was trying a hundred different things and very few ideas were sticking. My data collection systems felt clunky, everything felt make-shift, and I felt like my students had figured me out and were testing just how far they could push the new girl. These things felt like legit things to worry about- and they are! So imagine how stressed out I was when I put the additional burden on myself to make everything look as great as the 24 year veteran across the hall. 

First Year Special Education Teacher Advice

I’m telling you all this in case you have been here. In case you have felt pressure to do more than you’re able. In case the to-do’s and pressures to have a flawless classroom set up seem overwhelming and insurmountable. Here are some things I wish I had released and my hope is that you do too! 

1. My desk being organized- No. One. Cares! Yes, you may get made fun of a bit by your paras and your principal. But when you’re in the trenches of your first year (or even 5th or 15th!) you do not have to waste precious time getting a Pinterest worthy desktop! Do you have a place you keep your important things? Do you have a place you keep things when you need them in a pinch? That’s all you need.
2. Cute decorations- First and foremost, as a first year special education teacher, you should always be evaluating if the decorations you’re putting up are functional for your students. Is it too flashy? Is it distracting? Is it overwhelming? It is calming? Do I have students who might stim off of this? These are things you need to think about… or at least things you will tell people when they ask why you don’t have monthly bulletin board themes.
3. Memorizing IEPs- Was it just me who tried to do this? I was afraid my first year of seeming like I didn’t have all the answers. I thought I needed to have a response at the ready when someone questioned something about a student’s programming. I’ve since learned that it is totally appropriate- and often the better choice- to circle back to the conversation after re-reading the IEP. You might know the answer, but it is better to be thoughtful and delayed in a response than rushed and wrong. 
4. Being prepped for 3 months in advance- Just… don’t. You wouldn’t be doing your job as a special education teacher if you planned materials and content that wasn’t responsive to the students’ evolving needs. If you plan too far in advance, you could be creating resources that are too advance or too simple for where your students are at. Data should be driving the instruction and materials you create. It might feel good to have things ready for weeks out at a time, but if it isn’t what the students need you’re just creating a headache for yourself. 
5. Fear of asking for help- As a first year special education teacher, imposter syndrome is a real thing. You are often half the age of most of the people in your building, let alone your students’ parents. I was afraid of reaching out to people for help with things I thought I was supposed to know the answer too. Does the district want me writing evals a certain way? (yes- but I wouldn’t have known unless I swallowed my pride and asked). What should I do for this student that seems stuck on reading comprehension? (We have reading specialists in our district and it took me 2 years to reach out to them to troubleshoot things- how dumb!). And you know what? Nobody thought of me as dumb, or naive, or not qualified. Asking questions is a sign of maturity and thoughtfulness that people will respect. 
6. Implementing everything- I looked at veteran special education teachers classrooms online and was completely inspired and overwhelmed by their systems, centers, and routines. I had to remind myself that they had sometimes decades to build their classrooms up to be the way they were on their Instagram page. Spending time trying every idea is taking away valuable time as a first year teacher learning about your students and the job. Focusing on implementing a few things really, really well will payoff more than trying 10 new initiatives. 

If you’re a veteran, do you relate to these stressors? If you’re a first year special education teacher, have you fallen into any of these traps? I fell into every one of them, and they didn’t serve me at all. What did serve me well was humbling myself to ask for help, learn from others, learn from my students, and be willing to change things up. First year Megan would look at 7 year Megan and feel totally overwhelmed at how she runs things or sets things up in her classroom. If you remember anything from this post, remember this- you have nothing but potential in front of you.

I hope this blog provides a place for new and veteran teachers alike to find resources or classroom supports or systems they haven’t tried yet, in a setting that doesn’t pressure them to spend their own money or make them feel like they need to change everything they do. My aim is to share, be challenged, and learn alongside you as we all strive to be better educators for our students with disabilities.

If you know a first year special education teacher who could use some encouragement, share this post with them!