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Special Education for Beginners | Managing Paraprofessionals, Special Education Strategies, First Year Sped Teachers, Special Ed Overwhelm, Paperwork for Special Education Teachers
The Go-To Podcast for Special Educators who want to reduce their stress and begin to feel success.
Hey special educator…
Overwhelmed by the absurd amount of paperwork on your to-do list?
Wish you had the skills to build a rock-solid team with your paraprofessionals?
Do you find yourself scouring the internet for how to meet the diverse needs of each student on your caseload?
Hey there friend…I’m Jennifer Hofferber from Sped Prep Academy, an award winning veteran special education teacher and current instructional coach who has walked in your shoes through each of these challenges.
And yes, I've got the metaphorical blisters to prove it! I’ve cried your tears and felt your pain and now I’m here to support you the way I wish someone would have been there to support me.
Listen in each week as my guests and I dish out practical wisdom to help you handle all the classroom curveballs thrown your way, and learn how to laugh in spite of the chaos to celebrate those small, yet significant victories that only a special educator can understand.
So…Are you ready? Wipe your tears and put on your superhero cape because together we are going to learn how to survive and thrive in the ever crazy, completely overwhelming, laugh so you don’t cry profession of being a special education teacher.
Next Steps:
Visit the Website: https://www.spedprepacademy.com
Join the Free Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SpedPrepAcademy
Email Me: jennifer@spedprepacademy.com
Episodes
243 episodes
A Midyear Reality Check for Special Education Teachers
January can feel brutal in special education.You’re not starting fresh—you’re restarting the same school year, but this time even more tired. After winter break, many special education teachers return feeling overwhelmed, behind, ...
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December Countdown – 3 Ways to Connect with Your Paras Before the Break
In the final episode of 2025, we are shifting the spotlight from survival mode to connection by focusing on the heart of your classroom—the paraprofessionals who support students and teachers every day. With winter break fast approa...
Simple Systems for Stress-Free Progress Monitoring
In this episode of Special Education for Beginners, we're continuing our December theme of Survive & Thrive. Last week on
3 Mindset Shifts to Help You Manage the Holiday Season
Does the month of December fill you with joy or stress? This month is full of excitement, but also full of dysregulation, disrupted routines, extra demands, and emotional overload for everyone involved. In this episode, we’re kickin...
Empowering Parents with the Special Education Parent Handbook
In this final episode of our November theme, we’re shifting from simply supporting parents to truly empowering them. Throughout the month, we’ve explored how to build trust with families, welcome them into the IEP process, and navigate t...
When the IEP Table Gets Tense: 5 Strategies for Hard Conversations
It’s no secret that being a special education teacher requires wearing many hats. One of the most important (and sometimes most challenging) is partnering with families. Even when you're doing everything right, there are times when conversation...
How to Get Parents to Know, Like, and Trust You
Welcome back to Special Education for Beginners! In this week’s episode, we’re continuing our November theme of Family Ties: Strengthening Parent Partnerships in Special Education—and today, we’re digging into one of the most fo...
How to Make IEP Meetings Less Intimidating for Parents
Welcome to November...the month we show gratitude for our parents! In this episode, we’re tackling a topic that doesn’t get nearly enough attention in the special education world: parents. While our job is to serve stude...
IEP Alignment in Action: A Case Study Walkthrough
We’ve spent all month talking about what it means to write strong, meaningful, and connected IEPs, and today, we’re putting it all together.In this final episode of the October series, I’m walking you through a real-time case study of a ...
IEP Alignment from an Administrator’s Perspective with Dane Parcel
In today’s episode of Special Education for Beginners, we’re taking our October IEP Alignment Series one step further...this time through the lens of administration.I’m joined by Dane Parcel, my current Special Education ...
Aligning Services and Accommodations to Student Needs
In this week’s episode of Special Education for Beginners, we’re continuing our October series all about writing IEPs that are clear, meaningful, and truly connected.So far this month, we’ve talked about how your
How to Draw a Straight Line from Needs to Goals in an IEP
Hey there, welcome back to Special Education for Beginners!We’re continuing our October series on writing IEPs that are clear, meaningful, and connected. Last week, on Episode 280...
The PLAAFP Is the Blueprint of Every Strong IEP
By October, most of us as special educators have found our rhythm. The beginning-of-the-year chaos has calmed (at least a little!), routines are in place, and that’s when IEP season really starts to pick up.This month on Special Educ...
How Movement Impacts Behavior: OT Insights for the Classroom
This month on the Special Education for Beginners podcast, we’ve been focused on behavior—what causes it, how to prevent escalation, and how to respond when it happens. But today, we’re flipping the script and talking about what...
What to Do (and NOT Do) When a Student Escalates
📅 September Behavior Series – Week 3Hey there, and welcome back to the Special Education for Beginners podcast! This is the third episode in our September series all abo...
How the Brain Impacts Behavior & What You Can Do About It
Welcome back to our month-long focus on behavior management in the special education classroom.In this episode, we’re digging into the science behind student behavior with special guest Sam Parmelee. This isn’t your typical...
7 Strategies to Prevent Behaviors Proactively
Welcome back to Special Education for Beginners! September is such a critical month for teachers. It’s the time when routines are still being built and the habits you ...
Keeping Perspective in Special Education: A Pep Talk for the New School Year
At the start of a new school year, everything can feel big. The stress, the expectations, the changes...they all seem to hit at once. If you’re in that season of overwhelm, this episode is your much-needed pep talk.In Epi...
How to Choose the Right Data Collection System for Your Classroom
Collecting data is one of the most important parts of being a special education teacher, but let’s be honest—it’s also one of the most overwhelming. Between figuring out how to track academic, behavioral, and anecdotal progress, and deciding ho...
Mastering the Special Education Schedule (One Tetris Piece at a Time)
Scheduling in special education isn’t for the faint of heart! Whether you’re leading a resource room program, a self-contained classroom, or managing inclusion services across multiple grades, you’ve probably felt like you ...
Where Do I Even Start? 3 Priorities for Special Educators This Back-to-School Season
Whether you are ready or not, back-to-school season is knocking on the door!And if you're feeling a little frozen in place, like a deer in the headlights, you're not alone.In this episode, I'm sharing the three high-impact area...
Kickstart the School Year With Your Paras: 3 Must-Do Actions
Welcome to the final episode of our July Paraprofessional Series! This month, we’ve talked mindset, delegation, communication, and even heard directly from paras themselves. But today’s episode is all about action—because ...
Building Stronger Teams: What Paras Wish Teachers Knew
This week’s episode is a little different because it’s not about us as teachers. It’s about the incredible individuals who support us and our students every single day: our paraprofessionals.Throughout July, we've been focusing in...