Information Avenue Archives

The Special Education Teacher

Do you ever wonder about your child’s teacher - why he or she has chosen to teach children with disabilities, what his or her qualifications are, or what kind of training he or she was given to become a special education teacher? Most of us have, yet few of us know the answers. This article will serve to expand your knowledge of the special education teaching profession and will hopefully give you a greater appreciation for the people who are committed to helping improve the lives of children with disabilities.

There are several different reasons why an individual would choose to become a special education teacher. Some make the decision because they had a relationship with someone who had disabilities as they were growing up, while others choose the career because they feel they have a mission to help children. Whatever the reason may be for deciding to become a special education teacher, they do so because they are individuals who want to make a positive contribution toward helping children with special needs reach their fullest potential.

Statistics show that 10% of all teachers are special educators. Most special education teachers are younger than teachers in the general education sector and most are female. It is also known that more special education teachers have attained a master’s degree or doctorate than those teaching general education, although, they tend to have fewer years of teaching experience.

Most schools that offer special education programs are at the bachelor’s degree level. That is, most states require at least a bachelor’s degree to receive a special education teaching license. (some require a master’s degree). What is required in all states, however, is that students wanting to become special education teachers must receive coursework that focuses on the following:

• Learning the history of special education in the United States and the laws that mandate special education services for children with disabilities;

• Understanding the differences between children with and without disabilities, how the various disabilities affect the children (i.e., cognition, emotional needs), how medications can affect behavior, and the different types of communication patterns seen and used with children with disabilities;

• Screening, assessing, evaluating, and monitoring progress of children with disabilities;

• Adapting curricula, learning environments, and teaching styles for the different learning styles of each individual, and learning about life skills instruction related to independent, community, and personal living and employment;

• Managing the classroom with theories, methods and techniques specifically for children with unique learning styles;

• Providing positive behavioral support for a safe and positive learning environment, and maintaining effective strategies for crisis prevention and intervention;

• Communicating and collaborating with students, parents, and other school personnel and learn the roles of each individual in the IEP process;

• Serving as a model for students and fully understanding the ethics of confidentiality;

• Having field experience with children with disabilities by observing local classrooms first and then completing approximately 8-10 weeks of student teaching.

Most states also require the teacher to continue their education after graduation to improve their skills, increase their knowledge, and maintain the validity of their license.

The role of the special education teacher varies depending on the types of disabilities and ages of the children they are teaching. However, all special education teachers have the following three responsibilities: direct teaching (providing instruction to match the learning abilities, strengths and special needs of each child), preparing reports and other paperwork (IEPs, progress reports, and placement reports), and collaborating with other professionals (speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, social workers, school psychologists, and general education teachers) and parents.

Since the passage of the IDEA, there has been a shortage of qualified special education teachers to meet the large number of children covered by the law. The greatest shortages are for teachers of children with learning disabilities, emotional disturbances, and multiple disabilities. Part of the shortage is because approximately 11% of special education teachers leave the field each year, some transferring to general education and some leaving the teaching profession altogether.

Special education is a very demanding profession with many challenges, especially for the first- or second-year teacher. Those who are unable to continue teaching special education leave within the first five years of teaching. Special education teachers have many of the same stresses that general education teachers have such as discipline concerns, parent difficulties, or insufficient materials. However, in addition, they also have the challenge of IEP requirements, supervision of paraprofessionals (teaching assistants), and additional paperwork. Other causes of stress for special education teachers is the lack of support from administrators, isolation from other school faculty, and overwhelming individual student needs.

Despite the many challenges that special education teachers must face, most of them who stay within the profession love their jobs. Teachers enjoy developing relationships with the child and his or her family, they are rewarded by knowing that their efforts have a substantial impact on the lives of children, and they are often excited by the unique challenge of teaching children with disabilities.

As parents, it is important for you to be able to establish and maintain a good working relationship with your child’s teacher. Aside from knowing your rights as a parent, there are other things you can do to foster a positive relationship, such as establishing open communication, using creative problem-solving techniques together, offering to volunteer or help, and providing praise and encouragement to those who are working with your child.

Special education teachers are very special people. They have patience, creativity, and determination to help children with disabilities. They provide children with special needs hope, love and, most important, belief in themselves.

For more information about special educators, please visit the following web sites:

• The National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities http://www.nichcy.org
• The National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education http://www.cec.sped.org/ncpse.htm
• The Council for Exceptional Children http://www.cec.sped.org

 

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