Meet Alyssa
Welcome to Simply Special Ed. I’m so happy you are here.
- Special ed teacher, preschool to middle school
- Master’s in Severe Disabilities
- Used in 300,000+ classrooms
Let me tell you a little about myself.
My name is Alyssa Shanahan and I have always wanted to be a teacher. I remember when I was about 8 years old, making lessons, assigning my sister books to read, and handing out “homework” in our playroom. This went on for years and years. I never once questioned my path into education.
I DID however question my degree! My undergraduate degree is in Communication Sciences and Disorders – yup! I was going to become an SLP. When I completed my practicum I had a real quick panic attack… “WAIT?…. I have to give these kids back after 30 minutes?” That wasn’t enough time for me. I wanted them ALL DAY. I wanted to be a teacher, just like I used to pretend in the playroom. So, I called my Mom, freaked her out, and off I went to earn my Masters Degree in Severe Disabilities All Levels.
In the classroom
I went on to teach in public schools and collaboratives in classrooms from preschool to middle school. My main classroom focus is keeping things simple, increasing communication, and building independence.
Today
Today I create courses and teach teachers, something I have grown to have a passion for. I love guiding new teachers to veteran teachers and helping them build easy-to-use systems in their classroom that change how they teach and give them more time with their families.
Let me tell you a little about Simply Special Ed.
I started my very own blog right after graduating — SimplySpecialEd.com. I just LOVED writing about my classroom experiences, connecting with other teachers, and sharing new ways to meet student needs.
Around the same time, I started creating my own resources. Creating resources was super time-consuming, but I loved it! My husband still reminds me how often I’d come home from school and immediately sit down on the couch to start creating new resources for my students.
Then I started sharing my resources online so other educators could have access to the resources that I used in my classroom.
I’ve since left the classroom and focus pretty much all of my free time on creating adapted resources for special education classrooms.
I created this shop to reach a larger audience of special educators. I also wanted the ability to reward you all with some great perks for using my resources!
You don’t have to do this alone
Join thousands of special education teachers just like you. Ask questions, swap ideas, and get support from people who truly get your classroom. Pick the group that fits you best, or join them all.
I’m here for you
Come say hi on Facebook, Instagram, email, and the blog.