About me
Hi, I'm Jeremy Gooch. I'm a special education teacher, and I've been at it a long time.
Most of my work is with students getting close to the end of school. That's the part that keeps me up at night. One year they have a team around them every day. Then graduation comes, a lot of that support goes away, and families are left asking what happens next. I call that drop the transition cliff. This site and everything on it is my attempt to build a few more steps down.
For 15 years I've also trained school staff in crisis prevention and de-escalation. I've stood in a lot of rooms with teachers and paras talking through the hard moments: the student who shuts down, the one who bolts, the day that goes sideways before first hour is over. What I've learned is simple. Calm adults make calm rooms, and a clear plan beats a loud voice every time. That shows up in what I make.
I wrote two books for the families and teachers I work with. The Transition Map walks through planning for life after high school, year by year. The Empowered Parent Planner gives parents one place to keep goals, meetings, contacts and next steps, so nothing important ends up on a sticky note that gets lost.
The task cards, checklists and lessons in my shop come out of my own classroom. If something didn't hold up with real students on a real Tuesday, it didn't make it here. I hope a few of them save you some time and help your students walk out that last day with a plan.
Thanks for stopping by. Life is short. Go help someone!
Jeremy