Sharing my experience in the classroom as a life skills special ed transition teacher by providing resources and solutions for fellow educators
How To Teach: Where to Store Food and Read Expiration Dates
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Importance of Food Storage and Expiration Dates
Helping unload the family groceries and putting the food safely away can be a BIG help to caregivers. Also, detecting mold and knowing not to eat it can keep students safe from sickness. So, knowing where to store food and how to read expiration...
Why I Prefer Teaching Transition Over High School
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I remember squating in front of a student’s desk in a high school math class where I was a co-teacher reviewing absolute value with them and how to apply it to different problems. I thought to myself, ‘they are probably never going to use this in their entire lives and yet, I must...
How To Teach: Table Manners
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Importance of Meal Manners
While you may think manners only happen at the ‘dinner table,', meals can happen anywhere. However, regardless of if your student eats at a dinner table, a pop-up tray, on the floor, or at a restaurant high-boy, they need to know what to do at each point...
How To Teach: Packing Skills & Keeping a Wallet or Purse
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Importance of Packing and Wearing or Using a Wallet or Purse
As students become teenagers and young adults, being able to hold their own things shows a level of independence. Holding on to a bag and keeping the bag with them as they move from one environment to the next will allow them to...
How To Teach: Self Advocacy Skills
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Importance of Self Advocacy
Adults advocate naturally constantly throughout their day, we just don’t come right now and announce that we are doing it (however, we really should). Therefore, advocating for yourself is not something that is typically modelled for our students on a...
How To Teach: Cleaning A Room
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Importance of Cleaning a Room
Some people are born with the need to have things clean and orderly and others...just aren’t. However, learning to keep a room clean (like a bed room or dorm room) is a useful skill. Not only will students increase their feeling of accomplishment because it...
How to Prepare Students (and Families) for Life After Special Education
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You may or may not have started counting down the days until summer break, but if it feels within reach to you then you know your students and young adults are feeling it too.
Students and families start to feel that final countdown stress probably before you do. They know the bus...
Technology I Use as a Special Education Transition Teacher
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If you teach special education, then you know technology can really be both your best friend and worst enemy. Below I’ve listed my favorite technology websites, features, and programs and I’m a harsh critique as I have a list of the technology that falls under Worst Enemy.
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How To Teach: Laundry Skills
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Importance of Doing Laundry
Washing, drying, and hanging clothes is a mundane chore that will truly never end. Students can greatly increase their self confidence by learning how to sort clothes, start the washer, flip clothes, unload the dryer, and fold and hang. Laundry also incorporates...
Book Recommendation for Special Education Transition Teachers
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One thing that came from the recent pandemic for me was time to read and I’ve made a conscious effort to continue the practice as the world began to open up.
While I may not have nearly the amount of free time now that I did back then, I still found time to read and learn.
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How To Teach: Time Management Skills
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Importance of Time Management
Like it or not, being able to manage one’s time is a quality that is often judged. If you are late, then you are lazy, unaware, or unmotivated. If you are early then you are prepared, punctual, and responsible. Being able to manage time is a skill and it...
How To Teach: Problem Solving Skills
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Importance of Problem Solving
If, ‘Ow, looks like we have a problem to solve.’ isn’t a part of your teacher phrases, then consider adding it! An important step to living more independently and holding down a volunteer or competitive job is to be able to identify and solve...
How To Teach: Email Writing and Management
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Importance of Writing an Email
I hear families say over and over again that they wish their child could socialize with their peers in the evenings and on weekends. Teaching students how to email gives them an avenue to communicate with others. A student doesn’t need to be verbal to...
How To Teach: Exercise and Fitness Routines
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Importance of Fitness
P.E. or Gym class may have been a time to relax, to work on social skills with peer buddies, or to get in physical therapy or occupational therapy minutes. When a student’s schedule begins to allow autonomy in their fitness routine, then the activity will have new...
How To Teach: Recreation Leisure Skills
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Importance of Recreation Leisure skills
Humans engage in recreation leisure activities because it makes them feel happy, it reduces stress, and it provides a mental break from other thoughts or tasks. Since these are all good things, we must support our students in being able to find the ...
Buying Special Education Classroom Furniture: What To Consider
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My co-teacher and I did some ‘window’ shopping to find new tables/desks for our class. The tables and desks we had in our room were no longer going to meet the needs of our incoming students, so we requested funds to purchase new furniture and were approved!
Whenever...
How To Teach: Internet Safety
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Importance of Digital Citizenship
Regardless of if a student is obsessed with their smartphone and uses all the social media apps or if they have no interest in computers or smartphones, knowing how to handle themselves when they do go online is important to keeping themselves and their money...
Facebook Groups to Join as a Special Education Transition Teacher
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I’m newer to Facebook. I mean, I had a profile when I was in college because back then it was limited to only college students. Since graduating college I let that part of my social media life go and focused on Instagram, mainly because I’m a visual learner and that spoke to my...
How To Teach: Safety Skills
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Importance of Being Safe
The goal is to always be safe and protected from all of life’s disasters. Sadly, that isn’t reality and our students need assistance in knowing how to move forward in different situations.
Helping them to look at a situation and decide what...
Priority #2: Connect Students and Families with Government and Community Benefits
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As a high school life skills special education teacher for juniors and seniors or a transition teacher (or transition coordinator), we all have specific time in our school day for teaching class. Unfortunately, there is never time designated for helping students create opportunities to continue...
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