Welcome to Our Spectrum of Strengths!
As I prepare for a new school year in my neurodivergent-affirming classroom, I thought it might be helpful—especially for new or future teachers—to share some of the preparation that needs to be done before my students arrive on the first day.
There’s a lot to do. But setting up systems and prepping up front ensures that when my students arrive, I’m ready for them with a classroom that runs smoothly (most of the time), meets each student’s unique needs, and supports my paraeducators so that they are able to effectively support students.
Case Management: IEPs, Services, and Supports
When my students get off the buses on the first day, I want to know everything I can about them so I can support them through the transition back to school (for my incoming freshmen, a whole new school!). I can’t support students without partnering with their families. A large part of my start of the year prep is working to build relationships with families.
Here’s some of the work I’m doing to get ready for the year ahead:
- Reading and reviewing IEPs and behavioral plans for all incoming students
- Setting up a streamlined data collection system that works for our team
- Creating IEP-at-a-glance folders for paraprofessionals
- Mapping out my IEP calendar for the year, including who’s up for triennials
- Planning for meetings with related service providers to align schedules, goals and supports
- Writing a welcome letter to families
- Creating a “Tell Me About Your Child” survey for families to complete
- Drafting a photo release form and sending everything home with that welcome letter
- Setting up a Google Site for our classroom to keep families informed and up to date on what we are doing in the classroom
I’ve learned that setting up systems at the start of the year is a whole lot easier than trying to set them up once the year is already in progress. And, having these systems in place is necessary to ensure that services and supports are in place for each of my students.
Classroom Setup: Creating Predictable Routines and Supporting Transitions
Each of my students have unique needs, ways of communicating, and behaviors. Visual supports, clear routines, and team collaboration are everything.
So far, I’ve:
- Created staff lunch schedules to ensure adult breaks don’t disrupt student support
- Drafted student schedules that reflect their needs, strengths, and service times
- Developed zoning plans (aka who’s doing what, where, and when)
- Updated paraprofessional expectations
- Set up the para binder with everything from visuals to role descriptions
- Created visual schedules and supports for the classroom
- Made individual behavior and support visuals for students who need them
- Designed classroom-wide visuals to support transitions, routines, and regulation
- Gathered bus route information for each of my students
Lesson Planning: Day One and Beyond
The first week is about building connection and predictability—but also getting some instruction going. I’ve been:
- Mapping out our academic curriculum for the year
- Planning engaging, accessible first-week activities
- Uploading TeachTown vocabulary cards onto iPads
- Writing full lesson plans for the first week
- Prepping all academic materials for the first week
- Setting up the sub binder (because you never know)
Collaboration & Communication: Working As A Team
I’m fortunate enough to have a large support team around me.
I’ve been:
- Meeting with our department chair
- Scheduling Extensive Support Needs (ESN) team meetings for the year
- Touching base with our TeachTown coach to make sure we’re set for success
- Collaborating with my colleagues, working together and supporting each other as we prepare for the first day of school.
Final Thoughts
It’s a lot, yes. But all of these things help to ensure that I’m meeting the needs of each of my students and creating an accessible and supportive learning environment that works for both my students and my staff.
To the new teachers who might be reading this: Trust me, I was not as prepared in my first, second, or even third year of teaching. Ask for help, work with your team, and take care of yourself when you need to. You’ve got this.
Next, setting up my physical classroom environment!
It’s going to be a great year!