New Year... New Classroom Procedures { with Mrs. D's Corner }

I just love when the new year rolls around. Between all of us being on winter break for 2 weeks and the change of year, it's a great time to start a new procedure or try something new with my students. This year was no different.

Ya'll already know that I'm a special education teacher. Since October, I have gotten 2 new students in my classroom... for a total of 7 students now. And behavior seems to be a biggie this year. That's when Simply Special Ed came to the rescue, as she usually does.

(PS. Alyssa is just the sweetest, most awesome person... if you teach SPED, you WANT to follow her).

So this was one of my "why recreate the wheel" moments. Alyssa already had created exactly what I needed, I'd seen photos of her using it on her IG, and she sold me on it.

Before winter break, one of my paras (who came to me from an ABA clinic... talk about lucky!) helped me set them up.

Since our classroom is color coded to the max, we didn't want to change it up with their token boards. Each student has their own token board in the color that matches all of their other stuff (bins, labels, binders... you know, anything I could color code to ease transitions, organization, and work load).

We started back last week, and probably should have started using them last week... but we will start using them in our classroom today. I'm really excited to see how it goes, and I'm hoping that it will help my friends become more intrinsically motivated.

What is something you've started new this school year?

An InLinkz Link-up

Meet the Teacher { with Stephanie from Mrs. D's Corner }

Hey everyone! I can't believe that it is August already... and that August is almost half over. I just can't.

Our Meet the Teacher is next Friday, so I have been getting some things ready in my room over the last few days to prepare. Last school year, it was tough for me because I was in a brand new position, in a brand new school... with pretty much brand new everything. So I'm very excited that I feel like I have a handle on things this school year.

Like I said, last school year was completely new to me. I literally did nothing except welcome parents into the classroom and that was it. #worstteacherever

So this year I'm trying to make up for it. Here's what I have planned so far:

I found the idea for Wish Fish on Fluttering Through First Grade's blog. Even though I put a page in my Parent Handbook Flip Book about classroom donations through the school year, I wanted to give parents the option to donate things we always need now... like Clorox wipes, tissues, Velcro, tape. Since I teach friends with special needs, our supply list for the year differs from that of a traditional supply list. We cook on Friday's, so that's why we are in need of a spatula and ingredients :)

You can snag a set of blank Wish Fish here. Just print on colored paper and write on them with a Sharpie!

I saw this super simple, yet perfect back to school bulletin board over at Doodle Bugs Teaching. I put up a white background and still need to paint the sun and print the letters, but I think my students and their parents will enjoy it. It's bright and cheery, perfect for back to school.

The last thing I plan to do is pick out a casual professional outfit. Last year I was so overwhelmed with everything being new, that I didn't even do my hair or makeup.

Yeah, the parents probably left Meet the Teacher last year like that. #thosepoorparents

I'm a pretty casual person though. I live in Target t-shirts and GAP khakis because I need to be comfortable when working with my little friends. I'm constantly on the floor, lifting and transferring students, changing and diapering, so skirts and heels just aren't an option. But this year I'm going to *try* to make more of an effort... ya know, since I have a handle on this whole teaching life skills things now...

Ideally, it would be something like this.

Or this, except with white dress pants and not white jeans. There are just so many options! Hopefully there is something good left at the mall this week after it being Tax Free Weekend this past weekend.

What do you have planned for Meet the Teacher / Back to School Night / Open House?

Meet the Elementary Entourage - Stephanie from Mrs. D's Corner

Hey ya'll! I'm Stephanie from Mrs. D's Corner. I'm super thankful and excited to be a part of this collaborative blog... I can't wait to learn from everyone else, and, of course, share my special education expertise with you. Don't forget to read all the way through because there might just be a cute little Thanksgiving freebie for you at the end (oh yeah, and there's a HUGE giveaway!)

This is my 5th year teaching, but only my first year teaching in the great state of Texas. I've taught pretty much every grade across the states of Pennsylvania (my home state), Delaware, and Virginia. Experience-wise, I've been around the block, or four.

Currently, I am an elementary life skills teacher and I absolutely LOVE my kiddos. It truly makes me sad when I'm out for a training. I just miss them so much! There is never a dull moment in my classroom and I wouldn't have it any other way. My students are brilliant individuals and I wake up excited to go to work every day. Now how many people do you know can say that?!

I am married to the most supportive husband. We've been married for 3 years, but this Christmas will be our 10th together. Time sure does fly, but I wouldn't trade him in for the world. He puts up with me working on products for hours on end and is pretty much the business end of Mrs. D's Corner. After all, I wouldn't be a Mrs. without him :)

We don't have any human babies yet, but we do have two spoiled fur babies. Jaxon is our 2 year old chocolate lab baby. He loves to swim and play in water. Sure, his bark is loud and manly, but I assure you he is the biggest scaredy cat ever. We adopted him from the Amish in Lancaster, PA, so we are pretty sure he is part chicken.

Zoie is our 4 year old miniature dachshund, and we adopted her from the Amish, too. Her nickname is Stinky Girl, and she definitely lives up to it. She enjoys rolling in gross stuff outside and getting into the trash. She has the biggest personality and she is definitely a big mommy's girl (unless daddy has food). I love my dogs more than anything. If you follow me on Instagram, you'll notice I post a lot of pictures of my babies :)

Family is super important to me. I call my dad every single morning on my way to work and I FaceTime my mom at least three days a week. I'm an Air Force sister, and aunt to the cutest little baby girl in the world, Reese. She's just about 18-months old now, but...

...she's taken after me since she was born. 

(photo credit: my mom!)

A couple of other random facts about me: I love Target, so much so that I should just get a job there to afford my Target addiction. I love dinosaurs and sharks; Shark Week is my favorite week of the year! I'm a salt lifer and lover of the beach; I could lay on the beach every single day for the rest of my life. TOMS shoes and everything the Gap are overtaking my closet. I collect Fiesta dishware and Jeffrey and I love to go antique hunting. Vegetating on the couch after a long day is one of my favorite hobbies. I, also, make handcrafted jewelry with my mom.

Now for my FREEBIE:

Since I teach students in the life skills setting, sequencing and sorting are big skills that we are covering daily. Thanksgiving is just around the corner (I am really not ready for Christmas, ya'll), so I whipped up these quick sorting activity mats for my students to sort Native American characteristics from those of the Pilgrims. You can grab them for free here.

You might think that my freebie was the best part of my introduction, but it isn't! Don't forget to enter our giveaway below. You could win $10 to all of our shops!

a Rafflecopter giveaway