In special education, whether we are parents, educators, or part of a child’s support team, progress doesn’t always look the way we imagined it would. Some days are hard. Plans change. Transitions are challenging. Waiting in line, accepting “no” as an answer, or navigating an unexpected change can take a tremendous amount of energy. When we are focused on the next goal, the next milestone, or the next thing that needs to improve, we may forget to pause and appreciate how far we’ve already come.
Gratitude isn’t about everything being perfect. It is about recognizing the good that exists alongside the hard.
Progress May Not Look Like a Milestone
When we think about progress, we picture the big moments: mastering a new skill, meeting an IEP goal, becoming more independent, or reaching a long-awaited milestone. Those moments deserve to be celebrated, but they aren’t the only signs of growth.
Sometimes progress is a child trying again after something doesn’t go as planned. It might be a child asking for help instead of becoming overwhelmed, tolerating a change in routine for a little longer, or sharing a moment of connection that wasn’t possible a few months ago. It might be a little more independence with a familiar task, a new willingness to participate, or a moment when a child feels understood and supported. These moments may not show up as a major milestone, but they still matter.
When we only celebrate the big accomplishments, we risk overlooking the everyday steps that help children get there.
Gratitude Can Exist Alongside the Hard Days
Celebrating small wins doesn’t mean ignoring challenges. It doesn’t mean pretending that difficult days aren’t difficult, nor that families and educators should always feel grateful. Special education can come with a lot of uncertainty, planning, problem-solving, and emotional energy. Families may be navigating appointments, advocating for their children, or wondering whether the right supports are in place. Educators may be balancing competing needs, collecting data, adjusting instruction, and searching for strategies that help each student succeed.
We can appreciate progress and still acknowledge that something is hard. We can be thankful for a meaningful moment, and still wish a particular challenge was easier. We can celebrate how far a child has come while continuing to advocate for what they need next.
Gratitude isn’t a requirement to be happy with every part of the journey. It’s an opportunity to recognize what is meaningful within it.
Small Wins at Home
As families, it’s easy to focus on the skills our children are still learning. We think about the next step toward independence, the challenges we hope will become easier, or the things we want our children to experience. I urge everyone to remember that there is value in pausing to notice what is already changing.
Maybe a routine that once felt impossible is becoming a little more manageable. Maybe a child is communicating a need more clearly, making a choice with greater confidence, or recovering from a frustrating moment a little more easily. Maybe the win isn’t a new skill at all. Maybe it’s a moment of connection, a shared laugh, or a better understanding of what your child needs from you.
We recently saw a Fraggle Rock stage show at our local community college. One of the songs was about the group of Fraggles dealing with a challenge, and choosing to “go with the flow” rather than abandoning their mission. My daughter, the music enthusiast that she is, immediately wanted the entire album on her car playlist. “Go With The Flow” has been heard every day since, but it was not until her recent Parent/Teacher Conference, that we heard how she has been using this “go with the flow” mentality to deal with her own daily tasks. She has been reminding herself that when things get hard, we simply go with the flow and we can adapt to changes. We can still make it through something that make us think differently, choose another method to solve a problem, or find a new solution. There is no space on the report card for Fraggle Rock positive thinking, but this is a win that the entire team celebrated. It won’t be included in her IEP reports, but we know this win was something to be celebrated, and we did celebrate it!
Moments like these can remind us that progress is not always linear, and it doesn’t have to look like someone else’s version of success. We don’t have to wait until every challenge disappears to appreciate the life we are building with our children.
Small Wins at School
The same idea applies in the classroom. IEP goals and data collection help teams measure progress, make informed decisions, and identify where students need additional support. That information is important, but behind every data point is a child learning, growing, and navigating the world around them.
Somewhere there is a student who participates in an activity for an additional minute, uses a coping strategy with less prompting, or applies a familiar skill in a new setting, showing us something worth noticing. A student who needs fewer reminders, takes a step toward independence, or attempts a challenging task should be considered making progress, even if the ultimate goal has not yet been mastered.
These small wins can also help us reflect on our teaching. What supports are working? What has become more accessible? Where might we be ready to adjust our approach or offer a new opportunity? Celebrating progress does not mean lowering expectations. It means recognizing growth while continuing to provide meaningful instruction, appropriate support, and opportunities to build new skills.
This year, I have a number of students with AAC devices. Because these devices are the voice of the student, they are permitted to bring them home. When they are also used at home, the battery decreases in percentage, and our goal is that students able to remember to charge their own device. After a summer break, it has been a challenge for some of my students to remember to charge their device. Over the course of this first grading period together, students and I have worked on incentives to remember to charge their AAC device, helping them take ownership of their responsibilities.
I wish there was a place I could mark this on a report card for the students, but until then, we celebrate them in the classroom and I share our successes with their families and help them celebrate the students at home. When we make space to recognize these moments, we remind ourselves that our work isn’t only about reaching the destination. It’s also about noticing the effort and learning that happens along the way.
Our Definition of Success May Need to Grow
One of the most meaningful shifts we can make is to broaden our understanding of what success looks like. Success might mean completing a task independently. It might also mean recognizing when help is needed. It might mean following a familiar routine or navigating a change with support. It might mean meeting an IEP goal. It might also mean discovering which accommodations, teaching strategies, or communication supports help a student participate more fully.
The important thing is that we understand the individual child, recognize meaningful growth, and continue working toward goals that matter. Small wins are not a substitute for progress monitoring, effective instruction, or appropriate services. They are part of the bigger picture. They help us see what is working, recognize effort and growth, and remember why the work matters. For families, those small wins can be reminders that their child’s story is so much bigger than a list of challenges, goals, or areas of need.
This November, Let’s Make Room for the Small Wins
As we head into a season centered on gratitude, I invite you to pause and consider the progress that might otherwise go unnoticed.
What has become a little easier? What connection has grown stronger? What skill is beginning to emerge? What moment reminded you that your child, student, or family is growing in ways that matter?
You don’t need a perfect day, a mastered goal, or a major milestone to have something worth celebrating. Maybe the win is small by someone else’s standards. Maybe it would go unnoticed by anyone outside your family or classroom. Celebrate it anyway.
Understanding a child’s needs, recognizing their growth, and working together to support their future are all important parts of the journey.
This November, let’s remember to be thankful for the progress we our children are making, even when it comes in small steps. Let’s celebrate the connections we are building, the skills we are nurturing, and the moments that remind us how much those little things can mean.
Gratitude doesn’t require perfection, and progress doesn’t have to be big to be meaningful.
Here’s to celebrating the small wins, one day at a time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Christina Kreml (MA. Ed.) is a dedicated special education teacher with two advanced degrees and a passion for supporting children with disabilities. As a parent to a special needs daughter, Christina brings both professional expertise and personal experience into her advocacy work. She is committed to empowering families, championing the rights of children with disabilities, and helping parents navigate the journey of raising exceptional children. You can connect with her at www.iepclarity.com.
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