As a teacher that taught Kindergarten for eight years, I’ve read All I Really Need To Know, I Learned In Kindergarten at numerous Kindergarten celebrations, and now I’m going to take this much loved piece and rewrite it to celebrate a day that I believe is so important: World Autism Awareness Day.

All I Really Need To Know About How To Be A Better Teacher, I Learned From Teaching Students With Autism

All I really need to know about how to be a better teacher, I learned from teaching students with autism. These are the things I learned:

• Talk less.
• Visuals matter.
• Keep predictable routines.
• Prepare for changes in routine.
• All we do can be broken apart into a set of tasks.
• Screaming stops. Be patient, take a deep breath, and keep an even tone. It will be okay!
• Independence is key.
• There’s no limit to what can be written in a social story.
• Work as a team with your EA. Learn from each other.
• Reflect … A LOT! Try, refine, change, try again.
• Success happens. Remember this, and celebrate it!
• Work with parents. We can learn a lot from each other.
• Keep high expectations. 
• Don’t be afraid to admit what you don’t know … and then figure out a way to learn it!
• It’s all about a team approach. Work and learn together!
• We’re more than our labels. Children with autism are children first.

Everything you need to know about teaching and learning is in here: classroom management, self-regulation, differentiated instruction, and most of all, putting students first. I’m a better teacher because I’ve taught, and continue to teach, students with autism. On World Autism Awareness Day, let’s remember what makes ALL of our students wonderful, and celebrate a diverse classroom where we can work and learn together.

What have you learned from teaching students with autism? I’d love to know what you would add to this list!

Aviva