My door. Happy Thanksgiving!

And this is mine...bum bum bum

This is the one my kids came up with in social skills.  Yes, my friend's below is way cooler!

Miyaka's Listening Board

This is my friend Miyaka.  She is a Life Skills teacher at an Austin middle school.  She really needs to blog too.  Everyone comment and tell her to join us!  Anyhoo, she made this interactive listening poster which I think is cool.  I've been meaning to steal it from her... :)

Book Parade!

Desk Chair Upgrade

So, I stole the idea from our speech pathologist.  She allowed me to put hers (bottom) on my blog too!  So nice of her to tell me how to do this.  Use upholstery fabric!  Comment about yours if you decide to do one! I also redid my kitchen table and chairs.  So cute, stay tuned and I'll show you later.  Loves!

I RAN MY 5K!!!!

My training motivation!  You better believe I looked at stuff like this everyday to keep me movin!

This is actually where I ran most mornings to get ready.  Town Lake, Austin.  Love it there!

Picking up our packets!  

They're covered in color and the race has not even started yet!

I did it!   I ran the whole thing!  VERY SLOWLY!

My running partner!  We worked hard and we made it to the end!

Been a While

Hello All!

I'm so sorry I have taken a while to post some updates.  Yes. Yes.  Chill.  I missed you too!

:)

Now, a lot has been going on at the schoolhouse this year.  Don't worry, I plan to update you all on EVERYTHING!

I am so happy to say that all of my planning and prep has made this year magical!  The kids are having fun and we are 10x more organized than last year.  I would hope the teachers are happier with the way our program is running, but who knows their true thoughts?  :P

So, here are the highlights:

Woah, MAMA!  This is my crazy desk!  I pretty much make sure all the clutter and untouchables are behind that light blue line and out of the way.  Everything labeled with light blue in my class is an "untouchable" in my room and they have to pay me if they go behind it.  Has worked well for us so far. The computer and phone have extra protection by being behind the file cabinet.  They call this place my "office."

In a previous post I showed you my idea for the journal my kids would keep during social skills.  They're coming along!  

We had a convocation at The Circuit of Americas.  Here's my friend Ginger (structured learning), our mascot (PE Coach), and me.  Go owls!

All the 5th grade teachers have their names in HUGE lettering by their door.  They made me one too!  I basically don't have a team, so I make sure everyone includes me.  HAHAHA! 

Intensive in our program is like ISS, but we basically infuse it with social skills.  In my opinion, ISS should include some rehabilitation aspect.  Anyway, this is our schedule.  Depending on how many kids we have at once, during the "work" time, we pull them individually and work on social skills lessons.

SNACK ATTACK!  Every month, a team is chosen to walk around during their conference to pass out a snack.  It's usually a soda and something fun like this.  Happy Halloween!

I asked my friend Sandi if I could put this on here.  She is a fabulous 5th grade science teacher!  This shows a sedimentary rock using rice kris pies (top), something denser (middle), and oatmeal mixed with coffee grounds (bottom).  Her kids LOVED it. :)

I got a happy note from my principal during an observation!  Yay!  Always fun to be recognized.

My Version of Puppet Theater

Hey lovers,

I found this idea on Pinterest and just had to make my own.  The teacher was making a puppet center for her reading class so they could act out during Reader's Theater time.  I am going to use this with my little ones (PK, K, 1) during social skills every once in a while (I only pull kids for social skills-the rest of the time, I do behavior intervention).  The kiddos can act out the skills we're learning with puppets!!  Totally fun.  

I think this will be great because we are always acting out skills through video or plays...this just gives us one more way to show our excellent social skills!  Yaya!  Let me know what you guys think!  Of course, you can change up the colors on yours!!!  Share with me if you are going to make one!  I just think these things are so cute!!!  

Here's the process:

I'm not sure what you call these posters.  I call them science fair boards. :) 

Get yourself some fabric, a science fair board, and ribbon (or classroom border).

Draw out a square to be cut out with an exacto.  I did not really go all out in measuring and making sure it was even.  I know....tisk, tisk.  I got too excited for it to be complete...

Cut out the square.  Don't worry about the ugly cardboard showing when you cut it.  I have the solution below:

Grab some tape.  Duct tape would probably be best, but I chose blue floor tape because it matched perfectly.   Fold it over the middle and layer it nice and thick just in case someone decides to lean their little arm over and crush it.  :)  I cut the pieces of tape so the ends could be straight and look pretty.

Grab your fabulous fabric!  Again, I just eyeballed it and cut it out.  I'm not that much of a measuring...that's why I am a teacher (not math), not a baker. :)  You'll need 2 equal pieces and one long.  Shown above.

Just to help my sewing (no machine :( ... ), I ironed over the edges.  I only did the sides that show.  Less work.  Haha.

Sew, baby, sew.

Now for the painful part.  Just kidding. Hot glue those bad boys on there.  I pinched the top curtain to make it look like a real one. :)

If you want you can add a border.  I'm not that happy with this one.  I think I may change the ribbon...You can also make a bow to tie on there.  Above you can see my attempt at a bow.....attempt being the key word. :)

AND, dun, dun, dunnnnnn.  Here we have it.  Hope you enjoyed.

P.S.

For your viewing pleasure: my outfit for the day.  The only reason I am showing you (and you might all as sped people commiserate) is because I can never wear a dress to work!  So,  for the next week while we don't have kids....I VOW TO WEAR A DRESS EVERY DAY!!!!!  For my first 3 days of training I wore a dress...No, pictures, sorry.  <sarcasm voice> Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you were all dying to see how cool I am <sarcasm voice>

Thanks for stopping by!  Love.

Farley's LinkUP

So, I'm new to this and don't quite know how it all works, but here:

Linking Up with Farley

As you may know, the Liebster Award is for up and coming blogs that have less than 200 followers. So what is a Liebster, you ask? Liebster is a German word that means sweetest, kindest, dearest, cute, endearing, etc. Such a thoughtful award! Here are the rules to accept this award:

[1] Link back to the person that nominated you.

[2] Answer the questions from your nominator.

[3] Share 11 random facts about yourself.

[4] Nominate 5 more blogs with less than 200 followers.

[5] Pose questions for your nominees

[1]

Thanks to  Melissa at www.seebeanteach.blogspot.com for nominating me!

[2]

1. If you could change one thing about your school, what would it be?

Instead of 7:30 to 3:00, it would be 8:00-3:30. That extra 30 minutes of sleep would probably do everyone some good. :)

2. How/when did you decide to be a teacher?

At 16 I started volunteering at CAMP Camp, a summer camp for children and adults with disabilities.  If I had to pick one defining moment of my life, it would be my first week volunteering there.  The moments when campers were able to do things they would not normally do in their everyday lives (swimming, canoeing, PROM) were moments that took my breath away.  I used to stand back at the dances and watch the campers thinking, "wow, this is beauty."  I knew from that experience that I would be working with that population for the rest of my life.  I stayed there as a volunteer and then a staff member until 2011 when I earned my degree in special education.  

3. What is your favorite pinspired project/recipe?

So far it has been my yarn wreaths.  Pics to come.

4. How did you come up with your blog name?

Haha.  I don't know.  I just started the blog and came up with Special Education Love really quick.  I think because I was so excited to start, I didn't really spend time thinking about it much.  The blogs about my love for special education.  Why not?

5. What was your favorite summer job?

CAMP!  What a blast that was!   It wasn't even a job for us, it was a family, a lifestyle, a need.  www.campcamp.org 

6. How do you drink your coffee?

With as much cream and sugar as is socially appropriate!  Ha!  So, I don't drink coffee much, because I only drink it with the unnecessary calories added.

7. What is your favorite children's book?

This is a tough one.  I really like Shel Silverstein, so The Giving Tree is in the mix.   I love Eric Carle for the art.  Favorite children's chapter books is The Boxcar Children.

8. Where do you like to buy "teacher clothes"?

Old Navy or Target!  There's no way I am buying expensive teacher clothes at my job!  Also, Old Navy and Target fit me (bigger lady) and still have style.  I pretty much rock one look at work: Pants (usually skinny pants), Cardigan, Toms or other flats, and some shirt.

9. How far do you commute to school?

It's about a 20 minute drive.  Not far.  I really like my location in Austin, so I don't think I'll be moving closer to school any time soon.

10. What's been your favorite linky party so far?

Well, I don't know what a link party is....so...

11. Do you bring home work on the weekends?

Nope!  I try not to.  I need my weekends to be about me and my sweet dog.  Every once in a while I will work on an IEP at home the weekend before if I haven't finished it in time.

[3]

1. I have a German Shep./Chow Chow whom I adore, named Dublin.  

Here he is as a baby (2 months?)  

2. My favorite TV shows are Grey's, Pretty Little Liars, Lost, and Roswell.  Some are old, but I still throw the DVDs on for fun!

3. I am in graduate school at ENMU for special education!  Go Greyhounds!  

4. I enjoy watching crime/mystery shows to see if I can figure stuff out.  If I weren't a teacher and could do anything I wanted to, I'd like to be a Criminal Profiler.  Also, have a huge crush on Dr. Reed from Criminal Minds.  The intellectuals: I love them!

5. I have spectacular friends who have known me almost half my life.  Wouldn't trade them for anything.

6. My dad is a football coach, mom is a nurse, and sister is in school to become an OT.

7. I am on the 5th week of Couch Potato to 5K!  Trust me, this venture could be a blog on it's own!  Jeez!  I look forward to telling you all that I finished my first 5K.

8. I am absolutely obsessed with CHEVRON right now.

9.  If I could get away with it, my hair would be died different colors year round.

10. I am obsessed with scary movies.  My favorite is The Exorcist!  Recently, I saw The Conjuring!  Such a great movie!  Absolutely scary!  

11. I have 100 bottles of nail polish.  :( I know...

[4]

I'm nominating:

1. Pretty Pretty Primary

2.Chalk & Apples

3.Ramblings of a Happy Teacher

4.Teaching in Cardigans

5.Love to Live, Live to Teach

[5]

1. When did you decide to become a teacher?

2. What is your favorite meal?

3. Is this your first blog?

4. Do you have any pets?  Tell me about them.

5. Name a blog you go to for inspiration.

6. What's your favorite Pinterest creation?

7. What lesson are you the most proud of?

8. What do you teach?

9. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?

10. What has been your favorite summer vacation?

11. What is your number one goal for the upcoming school year?

Make Your Desk Functional

Hello ALL!

For the most part, my classroom is organized.  Apart from one small corner...

MY DESK!

As special educators, we all know our paperwork can overwhelm us at times.  But, mostly, it can overwhelm our desks.

I'm making it a personal goal to be more organized in that small corner of my room.  Hopefully, you all will see some progress through the year.

I have a special board on Pinterest (FOLLOW ME PLUG) for organization.  One thing I found was so totally awesome, I had to go out and do it.

I got these drawers at Home Depot.  They come in different sizes, but I chose the largest so I could organize more items around my desk.  Be careful to check the drawers before you buy!  A few at the store had broken drawers.

I used scrapbook paper in the front of the drawer.  I picked blue because that is my class color, but I have seen so many cute color themes on Pinterest for this project.  Please share what yours' looks like when you finish!

Lastly, I used my NEW LABEL MAKER!  Trust me, if you don't have one, get one!  Although, be careful, you may end up having so much fun you are labeling your entire house. :)

So, here it is:

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Love.

Social Skills Journal Cover or Front Page

 Social Detective Toolkit

    Name:______________

This is the design I chose for my students' social skills journals this year!  I just love these little clip art designs.

I am planning on printing these on large white labels so we can put them on the cover of their composition books.  One of the teachers at my school did this for her writing journals, and it was absolutely adorable.  So, I stole that idea right out from under her.  It is what us teachers do best!

Throughout the year, I'll post some of what we put in these journals.  Last year we made a lot of foldables, comic strips, and steps in there.  Hopefully this year will be more exciting!

Thanks for stopping by!

Love.

Need Your Help!

Hey lovers,

So, I've been trying to put a list together of beginning of the year essentials for a shopping list.  Being special educators, we don't always get supplies from our students.  So, I'll be adding basic supplies to my list as well.

What do you all think?  What does a teacher need to start out the school year with a bang?

Simply comment below.  As I get your comments, I'll add them to our list:

1. Packing Tape
2. Color Tape (for labeling or dividing room)
3. Name Plates (pick your theme)
4. Rules Poster or Posted
5. Composition Books
6. Planning Binder
7.
8.
9.
10.

My corner in the living room is piling up with school stuff.  I can't help but get so excited to start setting up my room.

More to come next time: watch my projects appear as I start getting stuff in order.

Thanks for your help.

Okay guys, you can now share my blog on your own blogs!!!

 How exciting, huh?



For an example of what it could look like: look to your right. -----

Also, if you have one for me to add to my blog (either my travel blog or education blog), please comment with your html code.  I'd be happy to share!

Thanks everyone!

Happy blogging.


 It will show up as a widget, linking to my blog that looks like this:


 

 Just paste this html code for the image and link:

<a href="http://specialeducationlove.blogspot.com"_blank"><img src="http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f347/Laureli419/SpedLove-1.png" border="0" alt=" photo SpedLove-1.png"/></a>

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Hello Special Education Lovers!

I'm so happy you are here to visit my first teaching blog.  I must say, I am so inspired by all the young teachers out there who constantly share their ideas with the world through Pinterest and their blogs.  Thanks goes to all teachers for sharing tips and tricks for me in my first years of teaching!

It's time for me to pay it forward and start sharing myself!

Hopefully this venture will motivate me to continue creating fun and engaging activities for my students.

So, I'll probably be posting soon about preparing my classroom for the upcoming school year.

As the first days of school approach us, I leave you with this:

Most of you have probably been required to read this during university study or for professional development.  If you haven't, I certainly recommend this book!  These authors also have a bunch of videos with the information if you don't feel like reading.  Youtube them!

Happy prepping! 

Thanks for dropping by.