congrats!

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congrats!
By kristy

You are in for a challenging and very rewarding year! There certainly is a lot to know and deal with in special ed, but mostly it is a lot like any other teaching job -- you have to find your own style. So, don't worry
that you don't have it all figured out by the first day of school. Frankly, noone ever does.
I would suggest that you try to have contact with the prior teacher or perhaps an associate. They can fill you on some of the school specific things like lunch proceedures and how to schedule inclusion with other teachers.
Spend a lot of time reading those IEPs -- I'd consider that more

crucial than having the flashiest bulletin boards.

I actually prefer to keep decor somewhat minimalized (not boring, institutional) recognizing that some kids are highly distracted by stuff! So, if it doesn't have a purpose, I usually don't put it up. It might be helpful to look on the VENT BOARD for new teachers -- there have been quite a few posts about necessities for setting up a classroom. Remember, good ideas apply to special ed, too.

One thing I do think is crucial in a special ed room is some sort of visual schedule. You may need to make individual ones for the kids if they have varying schedules.

Hope you can enjoy your anticipation and preparation!