The First 30 Days:  A Special Educator’s Back-to-School Survival Guide Back-to-school in special education can feel like juggling IEP meetings, behavior plans, scheduling nightmares, and paperwork… while balancing on a moving school bus. But here’s the truth: the first month doesn’t have to leave you running on coffee fumes by September 15th. With the right plan, you can set up your year for success — without burning out before fall even begins. This survival guide gives you a week-by-week checklist , quick win routines , and a “what can wait” reality check so you can focus on what matters most: your students. Week 1: Build the Foundation Main goal: Get organized and get to know your students. Checklist: Review all student IEPs — focus on accommodations, modifications, and service minutes. An IEP at a Glance would be helpful for this! Create a master caseload tracker (grab my editable Special Education Teacher Binder to save hours). Introduce yourself to ...