In this Misfit Minute, Audra shares five career lessons she wishes she’d learned earlier as an educator: don’t overplan—use one strong activity with built-in extensions instead of many activities that won’t work; don’t skip data collection because “I’ll remember later” leads to missing or skewed data—quick tallies beat perfect data never recorded; don’t try to do everything alone—treat paras, therapists, and gen ed teachers as true collaborators; protect breaks and boundaries early to prevent burnout by leaning on staff and requesting admin support when needed; and prioritize connection over compliance, since connection creates longer-lasting engagement and makes behavior strategies more effective. She encourages newer professionals to give themselves grace, set parameters, and develop step by step to stay in the field long-term.

00:00 Welcome and Setup
00:19 Tip 1 Stop Overplanning
00:55 Tip 2 Track Data Now
01:14 Tip 3 Collaborate More
01:37 Tip 4 Protect Boundaries
02:23 Tip 5 Connection Over Compliance
03:18 Closing Encouragement

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