How to Teach Special Ed in 25 Steps

(Give or Take a Few Tears and Snacks)

Teaching special education is a journey filled with sticky notes, laughter, chaos, and heart. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s really like to be a special ed teacher, here’s your unofficial, slightly sarcastic, but deeply honest guide to surviving (and thriving!) in 25 steps.

1. Accept the job.

Smiling, hopeful, and completely unaware of the number of IEPs in your future.

2. Discover the file cabinet.

It contains approximately 4,782 pieces of paper, none of which are labeled correctly.

3. Panic slightly.

But make it look like you’re just really into your coffee.

4. Meet your students.

Fall in love immediately. They’re quirky, brilliant, hilarious, and you’re already fiercely protective.

5. Realize your schedule makes zero sense.

You’re supposed to teach three reading groups, cover lunch duty, and attend a speech consult—all at the same time.

6. Create a color-coded master plan.

Promptly abandon it by Week 2.

7. Write your first IEP.

The Intentional IEP becomes your best friend. So does crying in your car.

8. Learn 17 acronyms.

Misuse at least three of them during your first staff meeting.

9. Discover data collection is actually an Olympic sport.

You will never have enough sticky notes. Ever.

10. Become a scheduling ninja.

IEP meetings on Tuesdays, OT on Thursdays, and a para who disappears at random. You’ve got this.

11. Realize you need a new system.

For the fourth time this month.

12. Get called to the office because someone licked a whiteboard.

And it’s somehow your problem.

13. Celebrate small wins like they’re Olympic medals.

Johnny used scissors independently? Parade. Confetti. Tears of joy.

14. Discover the magic of Velcro and laminating.

You now own a personal laminator. And you are not sorry.

15. Collect motivational mugs like it’s your side hustle.

Coffee is not just a beverage. It’s survival juice.

16. Learn how to have a full conversation using only raised eyebrows and Post-it notes.

Especially during team meetings.

17. Accidentally adopt every stray emotional support animal.

Yes, you need the classroom guinea pig. Yes, it has an IEP.

18. Become a walking Google Translate for parent emails.

You’re equal parts translator, therapist, and magician.

19. Give 110% and still feel like it’s not enough.

But spoiler: it is enough. You are enough.

20. Laugh—often, loudly, and sometimes inappropriately.

Because if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. And sometimes both at once.

21. Realize your students are teaching you just as much.

About resilience. Joy. Humor. And unconditional love.

22. Lose your mind trying to schedule IEP meetings with six specialists, one principal, and a parent who only answers texts.

Seriously, why is this harder than planning a wedding? (Although the IEP Meeting Toolkit does help quite a bit!)

23. Build deep, unshakable relationships.

With kids, parents, coworkers… and probably the office copier repair guy.

24. Question everything.

Then remember your “why,” and keep showing up anyway.

25. Repeat steps 1–24.

With new kids, new IEPs, new messes, and a heart that just keeps growing.

A Messy, Beautiful Profession

Teaching special education is not for the faint of heart. It’s messy, beautiful, exhausting, and completely life-changing. You won’t always get it right—but your students don’t need perfect. They need someone who cares deeply, shows up consistently, and believes in them fiercely.

And that? That’s exactly who you are.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE…