It can often be difficult for students in a special day class to learn socially appropriate skills from their classmates because they all share a deficit in social skills. As part of an assignment at Brandman I completed a social skill behavior monitor. This prompted me to create a weekly social skills goal for all classes. I demonstrate TPE 11: Social Environment by placing all of my students in one general education class each day. I also include reverse mainstreaming where student assistants work in my classroom in one-on-one or small group settings. I am able to teach and model appropriate social skills for students. We also have friends with students from other classes who come in and read to the students or the students read to them or participate in other activities such as cooking projects or working in the school garden. My greatest strength in this area: creating and maintaining effective environments for student learning, is collaborating with other teachers and members of our special education staff. I am fortunate to have a group of colleagues who value our students and value positive student learning outcomes over convenience. One of the most valuable things I learned from attending Brandman is that you have to find ways to fight for your students and make sure they get every educational experience possible. I have learned to advocate for my students and their needs and have been able to use that knowledge to empower my students and create a classroom environment that allows my students to take general education courses. The physical environment can reduce behavioral problems and lead to student engagement. Another strength would be in classroom transitions, when our daily lessons run smoothly and efficiently because daily procedures and transitions have been