Charley's Classroom

*UPDATED 5/14/19*I have decided there can be months where I don't have any IEP meetings, and then there can be a day where I have 4 in a row! Completely overwhelming and lots of paperwork everywhere... that goes for myself AND the regular education teacher invited to the meeting. Along with delivering the regular education teacher an official invitation to the meeting, I also like to add a sticky note to it - for them to put on their desk calendar or in their planner! I am also guilty of printi

Knowing someone with a severe allergy ( whether it be to food, dye, scents, animals, medications, etc.) should be something taken very seriously. Especially if it is a student in our classroom/school building. Being aware and knowledgeable of these students with allergies is huge in helping all students stay safe. A reaction is serious and very scary. My school's nurse provides a confidential list at the beginning of the year to all teachers informing us of important student medical issues -

Stay organized and track student progress with ease using my Weekly Grade Check Sheet, that I designed specifically for my high school special education classroom (as shown on my Instagram). This easy to use sheet allows teachers to record and monitor individual student grades across subjects on a weekly basis, ensuring no progress is overlooked. This sheet provides a clear overview of student performance. The user-friendly layout makes it simple to navigate and update regularly, empowering te

Having to transition (rather quickly) to teaching remotely has had me feeling unorganized. I do not have all of my binders and important information sheets with me, while I am at home, as I plan for IEP meetings at home. Instead of re-printing everything, I decided to turn my Progress Monitoring Quarterly Checklist into an interactive PDF file, that I can use on my iPad. This has been saving me from re-printing everything, as well as having to create an entirely new filing system. I do not ha

Before each of me student's IEP meetings, they each complete their own student information form. This is an excellent way for me to get student input and feedback, to include in their IEPs. However, over the years, I've noticed some of my students become quiet/shy during their meetings. It's almost like they forgot all of the wonderful information they just have given me, a week or two prior to the meeting. Creating a meeting one-pager, is exactly what some of my students needed! I can easily

I try and provide my students with an active role in developing our classroom management policy. Especially those who do tend to display inappropriate classroom behaviors - in which case I like to hear what those select individuals with behavior problems have to say, and try to work them. I'm guilty of paying most attention to those forms that are turned in to me. I don't enjoy repeating their names any more than they enjoy hearing me do so. This is the second year using this form in my lea

Independent Work Day is what I call the work I leave for my students in my classroom when I have to leave to attend a meeting. Typically my class is covered by another teacher, so I leave independent assignments (mostly review activities) for each student to complete by filling out a "work day slip" for them. I paperclip the work slip to the work the student needs to complete and leave it for the teacher covering my class. Each student receives their own work slip and work. Students check of