After 10 years of being home with my kids and doing some subbing, I decided to step back into the classroom. 10 years is a LONG time to be gone and boy, was this year challenging! I knew some of what went into being a Resource Room Teacher, but had a lot to learn. I was so grateful to the teacher I got to work with who taught me SOO much! I wouldn’t have made it without her! Now that I’ve made it through the year, I can reflect back on the things I’ve learned. Here are some things that I wish I had known beforehand.

1. Meetings. You will have SOOOO many meetings as a Resource Room Teacher. You expect the annual IEP meetings and occasional chit chats with the teachers. But, by the time you are in meetings for BIPs/FBA, Professional Activity Meetings and Check in meetings for your heavy hitters, it all adds up! Many, many hours you will spend in meetings before and after school.

2. Did you notice the acronyms up in number 1? Holy moly, I thought I knew my stuff but I have had to learn a whole new language it seems. So often, I would hear someone say something and then have a blank stare. FBA. BIP. SDI. PLPs. OT. PT. SLP. VS. The list goes on and on! Study up before you begin your job so you’ll have a better handle on them all.

3. Parents. Oh man, I feel this one as I am a parent of a kid with an IEP. The parents can be emotional and can be confrontational. Be patient. Know that they are just nervous and worried about their precious babies. Try as much as possible to speak to the positives. As parents, it’s hard not to hear evaluation reports and goals as “your child is behind, delayed, not meeting expectations”. I always say over and over, “we are a team working together to make your child as successful as possible”. We all have the same end goal.

4. Grown up Group Project. This is the biggest one for me. When I was in school, I got my work done early and did not leave things to the last minute. When you are part of an IEP team, you are relying on SLPs, OTs, PTs, psychologists, teachers, and even parents to give you input for your IEP. Sometimes things happen beautifully and there’s plenty of time to write the IEP. Sometimes, it’s down to the wire and you are scrambling. Just be prepared to be flexible and roll with it.

5. Paperwork and the Details. This one wasn’t totally foreign to me as I knew there would be paperwork for the job…it was in the job description! But there is a whole list of guidelines and deadlines that go along with being a Resource Room Teacher. Know the time table for when your students evals are up. Know when your annual IEP meetings are due. You do not want to miss those important dates. Get a really good calendar and keep track! There are a lot of details in writing an IEP and you need to stay on top of them. These are legal documents and an important part of those kid’s educational plan.

Being a Resource Room Teacher is a wonderful job. The small group setting and seeing kids reach their goals is amazing! Just be prepared before you step in.