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: 5 Food Groups
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Importance of 5 Food Groups
The Food Pyramid is what most of us grew up learning about and while I know there were levels to the pyramid and that determined how much of something you should eat, it was a little complex. MyPlate is the new guide, rolled out by Michelle Obama during the...
Soft Skills in Special Education Using Conover's Workplace Readiness
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A speech pathologist shared with me recently that Google conducted a study and found that of the top 8 reasons people are most successful at work, the first 7 reasons were soft skills (read: nothing to do with the worker’s capacity to do the actual job at hand). If you aren’t...
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...
Teaching Cooking & Kitchen Safety: Special Education Lesson
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Importance of Kitchen Safety
The kitchen is now the heart of the home. So, your students are likely in and out of their family kitchen multiple times a day, to grab a quick snack, to talk to a sibling or family member while they cook or clean, eat a meal, or get a drink of water....
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...
Meaningful Homework for Students In Life Skills (Special Education)
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It never fails, one family each year on my caseload requests that I send homework for their student to practice after school and on the weekends. I completely agree when families ask for ways for their students to practice the skills they have learned in school at home.
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How To Teach: Phone Skills
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Importance of Phone Skills
Answering and talking on the phone may be a life line in the case of an emergency. Making a phone call may be necessary to set-up a doctor's appointment. Texting may be the best way to communicate with a manager or supervisor. Phone skills are important for our...
Teaching Life Skills: Washing the Dishes [Special Education]
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Importance of Doing the Dishes
If you eat, you create dirty dishes. Since we all eat, about 3 times a day, we are bound to create at least 10 dirty dishes.It's the skill that can be an independent work task (like after eating a quick lunch) or whole group activity (like during holiday meals...
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: Cleaning Skills
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Importance of Learning How to Clean
Cleaning is a great way for students to maintain their own space AND contribute to their home, no matter if they live with family or in the community. Cleaning skills also cross over into just about every vocational job, so it’s a worthy skill for...
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...
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