Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham
The Special Education Boss® Podcast is where advocacy meets action. Join Karen Mayer Cunningham each week as she empowers parents and professionals to understand their rights, navigate the system, and show up strong at the IEP table.
Special Education Boss® with Karen Mayer Cunningham
Behavior Is Communication: Safety, Structure & Relationship with John Vergara
What if we stopped calling kids “difficult”… and started getting honest about what difficult behavior is really communicating?
In today’s episode, Karen Mayer Cunningham sits down with John Vergara (aka The Difficult Student) — an assistant principal over special education and one of the most impactful voices online when it comes to behavior, leadership, and building classroom culture that actually works.
John shares his personal story — from being the student with challenging behavior to becoming a leader supporting teachers, paraprofessionals, and IEP teams across two schools. This conversation is real, practical, and grounded in what helps kids and protects learning for everyone in the room.
✨ What You’ll Learn
- Why John says “the student is good — it’s the behavior we work on”
- The 3-part foundation: safety → love → self-esteem
- Why structure and procedures are not “strict”… they’re support
- A simple mindset shift that changes everything for teachers in hard environments
Resources + Links
✅ Join The Academy (Skool Community): https://www.skool.com/special-education-academy/about
✅ Get Karen’s book The Epic IEP (official link): https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1637635125?tag=simonsayscom
Find John Vergara (The Difficult Student)
- Instagram / TikTok: @thedifficultstudent
- Podcast: The Difficult Student Podcast (Spotify / Apple / YouTube)
If this episode helped you, follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with a teacher, parent, or advocate who needs it.
“When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody.” — Karen Mayer Cunningham
✨ When we get it right for the child, we get it right for everybody. ✨
👩⚖️ Hosted by Karen Mayer Cunningham, Advocate & Special Education Boss®
Each week, Karen shares real stories, legal insights, and no-nonsense strategies to help you navigate special education with clarity and confidence.
👉 Subscribe & never miss an episode — new episodes drop every week!
🎓 Join The Academy: Weekly live trainings + 250+ hours of advocacy tools & expert resources
🔗 Learn more at The Academy
📬 Have a question? Email us at advocate@specialeducationacademy.com
📱 Follow Karen on:
- TikTok & Instagram: @specialeducationboss
- YouTube: Special Education Academy
🧠 Want to level up your advocacy game?
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(As an Amazon Associate, Karen may earn a small commission if you make a purchase — at no extra cost to you.)
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