Tales of Teaching with a Best Friend with Mendy Stevens
03/29/21 • 18 min
#028 Tales of Teaching with a Best Friend (and why we highly recommend it!)
Today’s guest is my ride-or-day...the other half of my brain...the person who makes me laugh every single day...the one and only Mendy Stevens.
Mendy and I met in the summer of 1995 when we were both brand new special education teachers at the same school and since that time, we have worked out of the same classroom for 26 years.
We operate our department as a true team sharing everything from scheduling to supervising paraprofessionals to teaching each other’s students to alternating mornings of who is going to pick up the first Dr. Pepper of the day.
Together we have worked for about 12 different principals, supervised over 80 paraprofessionals and have worked out of 8 different classrooms and have provided services to well over 700 students.
Our husbands are friends and we have gone on family vacations together and our plan is to retire at the same time and we’re pretty sure we’ll end up at the same nursing home one day because our brains are so in sync that we don’t know how to manage without the other.
I wanted to have Mendy on today because I would not be the person or the teacher I am today without her. She has supported me in all my ventures to become a support system to other special educators all across the country through my business and my courses and even this podcast. And even though she is behind the scenes when it comes to the Sped Prep Academy, she is my biggest fan and believes in all my dreams. So I just want to have some fun with her today and reminisce a little over the past 26 years of laugh so you don’t cry chaos.
Warning: Bathroom stories seem to make us laugh the most
Enjoy!
Join us in the Sped Prep Academy® Facebook Group
#028 Tales of Teaching with a Best Friend (and why we highly recommend it!)
Today’s guest is my ride-or-day...the other half of my brain...the person who makes me laugh every single day...the one and only Mendy Stevens.
Mendy and I met in the summer of 1995 when we were both brand new special education teachers at the same school and since that time, we have worked out of the same classroom for 26 years.
We operate our department as a true team sharing everything from scheduling to supervising paraprofessionals to teaching each other’s students to alternating mornings of who is going to pick up the first Dr. Pepper of the day.
Together we have worked for about 12 different principals, supervised over 80 paraprofessionals and have worked out of 8 different classrooms and have provided services to well over 700 students.
Our husbands are friends and we have gone on family vacations together and our plan is to retire at the same time and we’re pretty sure we’ll end up at the same nursing home one day because our brains are so in sync that we don’t know how to manage without the other.
I wanted to have Mendy on today because I would not be the person or the teacher I am today without her. She has supported me in all my ventures to become a support system to other special educators all across the country through my business and my courses and even this podcast. And even though she is behind the scenes when it comes to the Sped Prep Academy, she is my biggest fan and believes in all my dreams. So I just want to have some fun with her today and reminisce a little over the past 26 years of laugh so you don’t cry chaos.
Warning: Bathroom stories seem to make us laugh the most
Enjoy!
Join us in the Sped Prep Academy® Facebook Group
Previous Episode
Training Paraprofessionals Using a Handbook with Stephanie DeLussey
#027 Training Paraprofessionals Using a Handbook with Stephanie DeLussey
Using a paraprofessional handbook to train your staff might be the most effective and easiest way to train paraprofessionals, and today Stephanie DeLussey joins me on the podcast to answer questions about using this training format within a special education department.
Stephanie is the face behind Mrs. D's Corner, The Intentional IEP and the Adapted Book Club and has years of experience as a special educator.
Listen in as Stephanie and I answer common questions received about using a handbook as the training method for paraprofessionals and talk with each other about how best to facilitate this process.
Within the show, we mention a course that I created specifically to train you on how to train your staff. You can find the How-To Guide for Training Paraprofessionals HERE
You can find Stephanie
On TPT
On Instagram
On her website
Join us in the Sped Prep Academy® Facebook Group
Next Episode
Episode 29: 15 No Prep Fine Motor Activities with Erin from You Aut-A Know
#29 15 No Prep Fine Motor Activities with Erin from You Aut-A Know
As special educators, we know the importance of letting a child do things for themselves to promote independence but also so they can develop their motor skills, specifically their fine motor skills.
And luckily, incorporating fine motor activities into a student’s daily routine doesn’t have to be hard. Many toys are designed to develop fine motor skills beginning as young as infants and toddlers. Which brings me to today’s guest, Erin Hagey from the blog You Aut-A Know.
Erin's blog post on 15 no prep fine motor activities caught my eye because that's exactly what I needed... A list of products that can be purchased cheaply and that involve absolutely NO PREP!
The products she shares should be on every special educators’ wish list. Listen in as Erin describes each toy and how they can be easily incorporated into academic skills and communication skills.
You can find Erin's blog post HERE and use her links to get the activities.
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