Sunday, November 27, 2016

SPEDtacular Sunday freebies & A Gift Card Blog Hop!

Welcome to SPEDtacular Sunday Freebies!! Every Sunday I host this freebie link up here on my blog! Visit every week to download free resources for your classroom! If this is your first time visiting, you can access all of the freebies from previous link ups by clicking on "SPEDtacular Sunday Freebies" under "My Files" on my right sidebar. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

If you're a TPT seller, blogger, or resource creator, I invite you to link up and share your own freebie using the link up tool below! 


Link Up Rules

1. All resources must be FREE! It can be free for the day, but please delete your link once you mark it back to paid.
2. Your freebie may link to your blog or store.
3. Freebie does not have to be related specifically to SPED, but should be practical for SPED.
4. If you are linking up from your blog, using this image in your post and linking back to my blog is not required, but is greatly appreciated! Be sure to share this image on your social media so others can see your freebie!

*I recommend using an image of your freebie & not your button when linking up. 

 Feel free to share the image above all over your social media to let other teachers know about these freebies! 

The link up tool will close on Saturday each week, but "forever" freebies will remain accessible! Come back every Sunday to link up or download new freebies!

BUT, before I let you grab your freebies, I have a huge announcement to make!

The TpT Cyber Sale starts tomorrow and runs through Tuesday! Save up to 28% in all participating stores!

Wanna win some extra spending $$$!

Grab your freebies and then scroll on down to participate in our TpT Gift Card Giveaway blog hop!


TpT Cyber Sale Gift Card Blog Hop

Happy Holidays from The Bender Bunch! The TpT Cyber Sale is here! Save up to 28% in all participating stores on Monday and Tuesday! 

Wanna win some extra TpT spending $$$ for the Cyber Sale!? Click through all of our blogs and enter to win a separate gift card on all of our blogs! There's no limit on how many gift cards you can win! Winners will be announced Monday night at midnight (PST) or Tuesday morning, giving you all day Tuesday to shop the sale!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click the button below and head over to "Momma with a Teaching Mission" and enter to win another TpT gift card!


Happy Holidays from The Bender Bunch!!!

Monday, November 21, 2016

Behavior Goal Wall, IT WORKS!



I love using a Behavior Goal Wall in my classroom! It is so effective for reinforcing positive behaviors each day and reminding students of what they need to work on and holds them accountable. This is the third year I have used a Behavior Goal Wall and it has become a non-negotiable in my classroom! 

It is also a great visual and reminder for your aides to keep everyone on the same page and a great reminder for me of the goals and behaviors I am reinforcing each day!

For my student that is non-verbal, I am able to place his goals on his iPad in Proloquo 2 Go, so that he can also state his daily goals. 

Each day during our Morning Meeting, my students state their behavioral goals. I call on each student individually and say, "What are your goals _______?" They state their goals and we have a brief discussion on how they are doing.

Here are two specific examples currently being used in my classroom!

 Goals may be anything that the child needs to work on. Here are some examples of goals that have been used in my classroom:
Stay in my space.
Sit properly.
Keep lids on markers.
Keep chair legs on floor.
Work independently.
Use my words.
Try harder.
Share with others.
Get right to work.
Take responsibility for my actions.
Follow my schedule. 
I even encourage them to set goals for me, but they rarely have any. LOL! I must be doing good! HaHa! I tell them that even I, have goals that I need to work on in my life. And that everyone always has areas that they can improve in. 

This has been an effective tool in my classroom the last 3 years! It seems super simple, and is, but the difference it makes is amazing! I love how it not only holds students accountable for their own behaviors, but also provides a visual for them, my aides, and myself! 

Try it in your classroom! It doesn't take much to implement this! You can simply write your students' goals on a sheet of paper and hang them on the wall! But if you want something a little more colorful like my display, you can take a look at my editable Class Goals Display below!

Holding your students accountable and having them set goals for themselves is so important! What are some ways that your students participate in goal setting and their own learning?

Sunday, November 20, 2016

SPEDtacular Sunday Freebies PLUS $ DEALS!

Welcome to SPEDtacular Sunday Freebies!! Every Sunday I host this freebie link up here on my blog! Visit every week to download free resources for your classroom! If this is your first time visiting, you can access all of the freebies from previous link ups by clicking on "SPEDtacular Sunday Freebies" under "My Files" on my right sidebar. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

If you're a TPT seller, blogger, or resource creator, I invite you to link up and share your own freebie using the link up tool below! 


Link Up Rules

1. All resources must be FREE! It can be free for the day, but please delete your link once you mark it back to paid.
2. Your freebie may link to your blog or store.
3. Freebie does not have to be related specifically to SPED, but should be practical for SPED.
4. If you are linking up from your blog, using this image in your post and linking back to my blog is not required, but is greatly appreciated! Be sure to share this image on your social media so others can see your freebie!

*I recommend using an image of your freebie & not your button when linking up. 

 Feel free to share the image above all over your social media to let other teachers know about these freebies! 

The link up tool will close on Saturday each week, but "forever" freebies will remain accessible! Come back every Sunday to link up or download new freebies!

***DOLLAR DEALS***
Also, don't miss out on our $ DEALS today! In addition to our Sunday freebies, we are giving back even more this holiday season by offering $ deals on Teachers Pay Teachers all day long!


Click here to browse our $ DEALS!!!

Sunday, November 13, 2016

SPEDtacular Sunday Freebies!!

Welcome to SPEDtacular Sunday Freebies!! Every Sunday I host this freebie link up here on my blog! Visit every week to download free resources for your classroom! If this is your first time visiting, you can access all of the freebies from previous link ups by clicking on "SPEDtacular Sunday Freebies" under "My Files" on my right sidebar. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

If you're a TPT seller, blogger, or resource creator, I invite you to link up and share your own freebie using the link up tool below! 


Link Up Rules

1. All resources must be FREE! It can be free for the day, but please delete your link once you mark it back to paid.
2. Your freebie may link to your blog or store.
3. Freebie does not have to be related specifically to SPED, but should be practical for SPED.
4. If you are linking up from your blog, using this image in your post and linking back to my blog is not required, but is greatly appreciated! Be sure to share this image on your social media so others can see your freebie!

*I recommend using an image of your freebie & not your button when linking up. 

 Feel free to share the image above all over your social media to let other teachers know about these freebies! 

The link up tool will close on Saturday each week, but most freebies will remain accessible! Come back every Sunday to link up or download new freebies!

****GIVEAWAY****
Don't leave without scrolling down to my next post! 
You can enter two giveaways!


THANKFUL GIVEAWAY!!!


I am sooooo grateful for all of you ALL YEAR LONG!!! But since November is a month of THANKS, I wanted to reach out and show my THANKS even more.

I know how much teachers love and need Starbucks, so I'm giving away a $50 Starbucks gift card to one lucky winner...and for you non-coffee drinkers, you get a chance to enter a separate giveaway to win a flashdrive bracelet pre-loaded with 11 resources of your choice from my TpT Store! Love coffee and The Bender Bunch resources?? Enter both giveaways!

Giveaway will run through the 18th, and one winner for each giveaway will be announced on November 20th. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy time with family and be sure to express your THANKS to someone you are thankful for! 



Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Autistic Student OR Student with Autism?


This post has been a long time coming, but also a post that I have been very hesitant about writing! I've had thoughts of this post for nearly 2 years now, but have put it off due to it being such a controversial topic! I in no way want to offend others, but I'm ready to finally lay this first language thing on the table. I feel that it's way past due! 

So today I'm laying it out on the table! Autistic Student OR Student with Autism?!? Downs Child OR Child with Down Syndrome? Emotionally Disturbed Child OR a child with an Emotional Disturbance? Dyslexic Student OR Student with Dyslexia? To be completely honest with you and how I feel about it...who cares?? 

A child with Autism is an Autistic student. A child with Downs is a Downs child. A child with an Emotional Disturbance is an emotionally disturbed child!!! A child with Dyslexia is a Dyslexic child! How is it different?? I hear people and parents say in forums that I'm in, "Autism doesn't DEFINE my child." Well I'm sorry, but the people using these terms that you don't like, care about your child. They are trying to help your child and I'm sure in no way are they trying to define your child. 

I cannot believe how often I see teachers ridiculing other teachers in FB groups that I am a part of for using the wrong language. For goodness, sake! We have a teacher in a FB group pleading for assistance with a student, a teacher that is passionate about helping her student, that has taken the time to search and the courage to post for help and all the comments are ridiculing her/him for not using the correct language. I've seen them be belittled time and time again! Wow! Really? 

How many of these teachers never post again to ask for assistance?? How sad that we have to worry about such little things! And one member even stated that she was leaving the group due to people not using the correct language! Wow! 

I'm here to help kids and do what's best for kids! I love that we have the luxury of having collaborative groups on FB and I would NEVER, NEVER belittle someone due to their language and terminology! We all come from different cultures, languages, colleges, backgrounds, etc. and we all have different terminologies for different things. 

I LOVE what I do! I am passionate, dedicated and seriously LIVE, EAT, and BREATHE education! My students are a large part of my life! They're my kids! Yet, I often say Autistic student. I sometimes say Downs child. I say Emotionally Disturbed Student! Does that make me any lesser of a teacher? Of course not! Does it make me not as caring and passionate as the teacher that speaks "politically correct?" I think not! 

And speaking of being "politically correct." Here is one of Hilary Clinton's campaigns where this mother refers to her own child as an "Autistic Child." Should this language be a determining factor in who we vote for today? 



Even Dr. Ron Leaf, who is an icon of Autism, co-director of Autism Partnership, and the author of many best-selling books including "A Work in Progress," refers to students as Autistic students in his books. Should this keep people from buying his highly credible resources that help children with Autism?

Over the last year and a half of thinking of this post and seeing teachers and especially new teachers called out for this, I began to interview parents at my school to see if my language really made that much of a difference and if it offended them! I've always had an excellent rapport with all of my parents, so if I'm offending them in any way, I want to know. I interviewed 10 parents. Here are the results:

I asked all of the parents the same question. "I refer to your child as an Autistic Student (or whatever their child's disability is) rather than a child with Autism. Does that bother you? Are you okay with that?"

Parent #1: "Yeah, it doesn't matter to me. I don't see the difference."
Parent #2: "I don't care, I know you're providing him with the best care possible."
Parent #3: "What do you mean?"
Parent #4: "Who cares, we know she's Downs. It's not a secret."
Parent #5: "Should I be concerned?"
Parent #6: "Of course! I didn't know there was a difference."
Parent # 7: "She is emotionally disturbed. Doesn't matter how you look at it. It is what it is."
Parent # 8: "Can you repeat the two? What's the difference?"
Parent #9: "No, I trust that you will always do what's best for ________."
Parent #10: "What are you supposed to call it?"

Those of us that may not always remember to use "first language," or that don't always speak "politically correct," we are not DEFINING your child or your students. We love your child just like our own! Let's not continue to belittle others and dedicated teachers that hold these children dear to their heart. 

Let's leave the politics out and stop worrying about who's speaking "politically correct," and focus on what matters....the children!

Sunday, November 6, 2016

SPEDtacular Sunday Freebies!

Welcome to SPEDtacular Sunday Freebies!! Every Sunday I host this freebie link up here on my blog! Visit every week to download free resources for your classroom! If this is your first time visiting, you can access all of the freebies from previous link ups by clicking on "SPEDtacular Sunday Freebies" under "My Files" on my right sidebar. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

If you're a TPT seller, blogger, or resource creator, I invite you to link up and share your own freebie using the link up tool below! 


Link Up Rules

1. All resources must be FREE! It can be free for the day, but please delete your link once you mark it back to paid.
2. Your freebie may link to your blog or store.
3. Freebie does not have to be related specifically to SPED, but should be practical for SPED.
4. If you are linking up from your blog, using this image in your post and linking back to my blog is not required, but is greatly appreciated! Be sure to share this image on your social media so others can see your freebie!

*I recommend using an image of your freebie & not your button when linking up. 

 Feel free to share the image above all over your social media to let other teachers know about these freebies! 

The link up tool will close on Saturday each week, but most freebies will remain accessible! Come back every Sunday to link up or download new freebies!