When I started teaching special education, I had no idea where to look for help. Here are the five resources I wish someone had handed me on Day 1 — all completely free.
My first year in special education was one of the hardest years of my professional life. Not because I didn't care about my students — I cared deeply. But because nobody had prepared me for the sheer volume of what the job actually involved: the IEPs, the compliance deadlines, the behavior challenges, the paraprofessionals looking to me for direction, and the mountain of paperwork that seemed to multiply overnight.
What I needed — and what most new sped teachers need — was someone to point me toward the right resources. So here are the five I would hand to every new special education teacher on their first day. All of them are free.
Run by Lisa Lightner — a special education advocate and parent — A Day in Our Shoes is one of the most practical, plain-language resources on the internet for understanding IEPs and special education law. The goal bank alone is worth bookmarking. When you need to write a measurable IEP goal and your mind goes blank, this is where you go.
Visit adayinourshoes.comYes, a lot of content on Teachers Pay Teachers costs money — but a surprising amount is completely free, especially in the special education category. Search for "IEP data collection sheets," "visual schedules," "life skills worksheets," or "behavior tracking forms" and you will find hundreds of free, ready-to-use materials that would take you hours to create yourself.
Visit teacherspayteachers.comBehavior management is one of the areas where new sped teachers feel most underprepared — and most judged. PBIS World is a free, tiered behavior intervention resource that gives you specific, practical strategies organized by the behavior you are seeing. A student is refusing to work? There are 20 strategies for that. A student is being physically aggressive? There are strategies for that too. Bookmark it immediately.
Visit pbisworld.comThe IRIS Center at Vanderbilt University offers free, research-based training modules on virtually every topic in special education — behavior management, IEP development, inclusive practices, co-teaching, and more. These are not dry academic papers; they are interactive, case-study-based modules designed for practicing teachers. If you have a question about something in your classroom, there is probably an IRIS module for it.
Visit iris.peabody.vanderbilt.eduEvery special education teacher needs to understand the law — not just the spirit of it, but the actual text. Wrightslaw is the definitive free resource for special education law and advocacy. When a parent questions your IEP, when you are unsure about a compliance deadline, or when you need to understand what FAPE actually means in practice, Wrightslaw is where you go. It is also an excellent resource to share with families who want to understand their child's rights.
Visit wrightslaw.comThese five resources will not solve every problem you face in your first year — but they will give you a foundation to stand on when things get hard. And they will get hard. That is not a warning; it is just the reality of one of the most demanding and meaningful jobs in education.
If you want more than a list of links — if you want someone to actually walk through the hard parts with you — that is exactly what the advisory practice at firstyearspedteacher.com is for. Book a free 20-minute call and let's talk.
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