Olga's site for teachers
The Neurodivergent Classroom
Welcome, I'm so glad you found your way here. If you teach neurodivergent students and sometimes wonder what would truly help, you're in good company. Here you'll find gentle, practical classroom strategies and ready-to-print ideas for ADHD, autism, dyslexia and more, from elementary school through high school. Because a neurodiversity-affirming classroom doesn't only support neurodivergent kids. It makes school a better place for everyone.
Hi, I'm Olga. Neurodivergent students have had a special place in my heart for a long time. I've been a special education teacher for 26 years, and these days I work with students one-on-one and online.
Mail from Olga
Come join my newsletter
A gift for everyone who reads my newsletter: a trial code for the Learning Animal Check, valid for seven days, so you can try it at your own pace. And until December 20, my Advent calendar for teachers comes with it: a little German tradition with 24 doors, one each morning until Christmas Eve.
Every two weeks, I'll send you a little letter with new classroom ideas, printables, templates and articles, things you can put to use the very next day. No spam, ever, and you can unsubscribe with one click whenever you like.
What does neurodivergence mean in the classroom?
Put simply, neurodivergence describes differences in how people perceive, think, learn, focus and make sense of the world around them. In a real classroom, though, it often shows up first as noise and commotion.
Maybe you know the feeling. The calm lessons you remember seem to have vanished, a few students are quietly slipping through the cracks, and school just doesn't feel the way it used to. Those differences look different in every student, and they never explain a behavior all on their own. That's why it pays to take a closer, kinder look.
What I hope this site can do for you
I want to share the things that have actually made a difference in my own work with students. Not theory, just small, practical things you can try tomorrow morning. More than anything, I hope this site helps you see each student as more than a diagnosis. Often a slightly closer look is all it takes to tweak your teaching so it fits better, for that one student and, quite often, for the whole class.
What you'll find here
My opinion
Why our school system no longer fits today's students
Many of our schools still run on a model that's well over a hundred years old, built for a time when students were expected to sit still, listen and do as they were told. The kids in front of you today are growing up with social media, the internet and now AI. Their childhood looks nothing like ours, and they walk into your classroom with different questions and different needs.
And you, the teachers? So many of you give everything you've got and still go home feeling stretched thin. That isn't because you're not good at your job. No one person can meet that many different needs at once. I see it every day, and I know how heavy it can feel.
A big reform probably isn't coming anytime soon, and our students can't wait for one. I believe we have to start small, right where we are: in our own classrooms, with the students sitting in front of us. That's exactly why I built this site.
Nic thinks differently
Nic on Instagram
Over on Instagram, Nic shares little classroom ideas, a few kind words for the tough days, and the printables from the blog. Come say hi. Nic would love that.
@nic.thinks.differently on InstagramMy gift for you
Four printables for November
This month I've made you a sticker sheet, a weekly planner, a to-do list for everything rattling around in your head, and the whole month on one page. There's nothing to sign up for. Just download whatever you'd like and print it out.
Sticker sheetTwenty watercolor stickers to cut out, for notebooks, planners, and door signs.PDF, ready to print
Weekly plannerSeven days, room for plans and notes, and one thing that's allowed to wait.PDF, ready to print
My to-do listEverything floating around in your head, with the three most important things at the top.PDF, ready to print
November 2026The whole month on one page, with space for notes.PDF, ready to print