New special educator Grades K to 12 Inclusion and resource room

Every student has a way in. I help find it.

Click the owl. He has thoughts.

Hi, I'm Noelle Long, a special education teacher who builds learning with clear routines, visual supports, art, and play. Strengths come first, goals stay specific, and students, families, and teammates stay on the same page.

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How I teach

My Teaching Philosophy

My philosophy of teaching is to create a supportive environment that allows for guided exploration. I believe that the most significant learning happens when tasks are broken down into meaningful, achievable steps that build a student's confidence. My goal is to place learners in structured situations where they can practice skills in a way that feels safe and manageable: using visual schedules to master transitions, practicing social cues in a controlled small group setting, or following a step by step prompt hierarchy to complete a daily living task. For genuine progress to occur, the learner must have a clear, consistent path from total support to independent success.

For me, the best way to accomplish these goals is through one on one or small group instruction. This focused setting is key: it allows me to tailor the pace to the student's specific needs and provides the emotional security necessary for them to take risks. Teaching in a special education setting requires a delicate balance between providing enough support to prevent frustration and enough space to allow for growth. The environment must be structured enough so that the student knows exactly what is expected of them, but flexible enough so that they feel empowered to try new things as they move through each step of their learning process.

I have applied this philosophy during my time as a paraprofessional. For students struggling with communication, I facilitate growth by introducing basic prompts and gradually fading them as the student gains autonomy. I support social emotional development by guiding students through behavioral scripts and role playing, ensuring they meet their goals while still having the space to express their own feelings. New students are introduced to a predictable routine so they can feel secure in their surroundings. In a step program setting, most of the learning happens through repetition and reinforcement. This one on one approach provides a controlled environment to develop skills in self regulation, task completion, and social interaction. Students on an individualized track learn to navigate their day with the help of a support team, learning not just the skill itself, but how to use their tools to overcome obstacles.

In a high support classroom, a ‘safe environment’ means a space where the student feels emotionally secure and physically safe to fail and try again. Maintaining a predictable, low stress atmosphere is essential to prevent overwhelm. Teaching in this environment is challenging, but using a graduated responsibility approach helps students move toward independence. This requires a constant assessment of where the student is today compared to yesterday, and a willingness to adjust the "step" if the current goal is too high or too low. Clear, consistent feedback and a positive reinforcement system are vital to keeping the student motivated.

Ultimately, the goal is to move from a teacher led environment to one where the student takes ownership of their progress. By using visual checklists and success folders, I help students see how far they have come. This fosters a sense of pride and self advocacy, instilling habits of persistence that will serve them long after they leave my classroom.

At a glance

Role: Special Education Teacher
Grades: Kindergarten to 12
Settings: Resource room, inclusion, co-teaching
Supports: Learning disabilities, autism, ADHD, speech and language needs
Licensure: Indiana, Special Education
Home base: Munster, Indiana

Strengths

What I bring

Where I've worked

Experience

Paraprofessional

Special Education Paraprofessional

Jefferson Elementary, Grades K to 2

Work with individual students or small groups to reinforce material or skills the teacher introduced first
Help the teacher reinforce skills based on each student's understanding, needs, interests, and abilities
Help students master the equipment and instructional materials the teacher assigns, for ongoing skill development
Guide independent study, enrichment work, and remedial work set up and assigned by the teacher
Assist with the supervision of students
Take part in in-service training programs as assigned
Maintain the same high level of ethical behavior and confidentiality about students expected of all staff

SkillsProgress monitoringSmall-group instruction

Planning

Lesson plan samples

Two first-grade lesson plans from my teacher certification program. Each one links a state standard to a measurable objective, the words I say to students, and a way to check what they learned.

Context Clues with Ramona the Pest

ReadingGrade 1Standard 1.RC.9

Academic standard: 1.RC.9 Demonstrate comprehension that context clues (e.g., words and sentence clues) and text features (e.g., glossaries, illustrations) may be used to help understand unknown words.
Performance measure: Students will independently read Ramona the Pest, and for each unknown word, students will use a context clue, such as nearby words or sentence clues, to figure out the meaning. Students will complete a five question exit ticket by identifying the context clue or text feature that helped them.
Learning objective: The student is expected to demonstrate comprehension that context clues while reading Ramona the Pest by completing a five question exit ticket by identifying the context clue that helped them.
Objective statement: “Today, we will learn how to find meanings of unfamiliar words when reading a book. You will show what you have learned by completing an exit ticket and correctly determining the meanings of at least four out of five words.”
Purpose of learning: “Good readers do not stop reading every time they see a word they do not know. They look for clues in the sentence to help them understand the word. By learning this skill, it will help you understand stories and become a more independent reader.”
Connection to prior learning: “You have already learned how to use text to structure order. Today, we will connect those skills with this lesson. We will use nearby words and complete sentences as clues to determine the meanings of words we do not know.”

Halves and Fourths

MathGrade 1Standard 1.G.3

Academic standard: 1.G.3 Partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal parts; describe the parts using the words halves, fourths, and quarters; and use the phrases half of, fourth of, and quarter of. Describe the whole as two of, or four of, the parts. Understand for partitioning circles and rectangles into two and four equal parts that decomposing into equal parts creates smaller parts.
Performance measure: Students will complete a sorting task in which they place picture cards into halves, quarters, and not equal parts, and explain one choice verbally. They will correctly partition at least 3 of 4 shapes into two or four equal parts, accurately use vocabulary, and correctly describe the whole as two halves or four fourths on the exit ticket.
Learning objective: The student is expected to partition circles and rectangles into two and four equal parts; describe the parts using the words halves, fourths, and quarters; and use the phrases half of, fourth of, and quarter of. Describe the whole as two of, or four of, the parts. Understand for partitioning circles and rectangles into two and four equal parts that decomposing into equal parts creates smaller parts. They will correctly partition at least 3 of 4 shapes into two or four equal parts, accurately use vocabulary, and correctly describe the whole as two halves or four fourths on the exit ticket.
Objective statement: “Today we will split circles and rectangles into equal parts called halves and fourths (quarters), practice saying ‘half of’ and ‘fourth of,’ and show learning by sorting shapes, drawing equal parts, and completing an exit ticket with 3 of 4 shapes correct.”
Purpose of learning: “Knowing halves and fourths helps us be precise when we share or measure, like cutting a sandwich in half to share fairly or dividing a pizza into four equal slices. Learning this today builds our fraction skills so we can solve real life problems and be fair when we split things.”
Connection to prior learning: “Yesterday we practiced identifying and drawing basic shapes like circles and rectangles, and we talked about what makes parts equal. We also used words like same, equal, and fair. That work helps us today because when we partition shapes, the parts must be equal to be called halves or fourths. We will use the same ideas of equal size as we split shapes and name the parts.”

Training

Education and certifications

Get in touch

Let's plan something together.

I'm open to special education roles in resource, inclusion, or self-contained settings, starting this year or next fall. References, sample IEP goals, and a demo lesson are available on request.

noelleklong@gmail.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/noelle-long | Resume: available on request