Welcome back to another episode of Special Education for Beginners. As we start thinking about the back-to-school season, I thought it would be good to get our mindset right and give you some strategies to get you started off on the right foot! Today’s guest is Angela Rivas from The Sped Tech Teacher and she is here to share some valuable advice to help you thrive in your role as a special educator.

Talking Points:

1. Building Strong Relationships with Colleagues
   • Strategies for fostering positive relationships with general education teachers and other colleagues.
   • The importance of collaboration and mutual support.
2. Establishing Effective Practices and Routines
   • Key practices to start the school year off right, including organization tips and proactive communication with parents.
   • Angela’s approach to using tools like a Notion template for staying on top of paperwork and deadlines.
3. Managing Stress and Avoiding Burnout
   • Angela discusses her methods for managing stress, including the importance of using days off and setting boundaries.
   • The benefits of being transparent with students about stress and modeling healthy stress management techniques.
4. Advice for New Special Educators
   • Practical tips for new teachers to navigate their first year, including finding supportive colleagues and leveraging social media for professional development.
   • Angela emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and building a strong support network.
5. Special Resources for Listeners
   • Angela shares information about free resources she has available for special education teachers and how listeners can connect with her for more insights.

This conversation with Angela has been incredibly enlightening. Her approach to building relationships, managing stress, and staying organized offers a clear path to thriving in the special education field.

Angela has found her passion in finding ways to improve teaching and learning both with and without technology. She has created an AI GPT called MyIEP Buddy, designed to help special education teachers write exceptional IEPs, and she has also created a course specifically for new special education teachers called the Newbie SpEd Teacher Academy, which is designed to help new teachers know where to start, changing their first year from chaos to structure.

Be sure to check out the special resources she mentioned, and as always, thank you for joining us on Special Education for Beginners. We’ll see you next time!

https://thespedtechteacher.com/collections/freebies

Connect with Angela:

Writing individual impact statements based on a student’s unique disability and needs can be a big struggle AND a big time suck.! And in case you haven't noticed...extra time is not something you have a lot of.

My IEP Impact Statements Growing Bundle will give you the resources you need to make writing impact statements a breeze.

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