An Inside Look at the Special Education Profession

Special education professionals work t? promote students' ?v?rall behavioral, social and academic growth. Special education professionals aide students ?n developing socially a??r??riate behavior w?thin the?r family, school and community. Teachers of special education help students b??om? more confident in their social interactions. Special education professionals administer activities th?t build students' life skills.

What Does the Job Entail?

Are ?ou interested ?n helping others? Can you handle and care for people who learn differently ?nd have oth?r behavioral problems? Do ?ou w?nt to make a difference ?n ? young child's life? If y?u answered "yes" to ?ny of th??? questions, th?n y?u might ??n?ider a career ?n special education. Below ?s a breakdown ?f th? short and long-term responsibilities ?f a special education teacher.

First and foremost, special education teachers focus ?n the development and academic n?ed? of children with disabilities. They encourage learning in disabled students by implementing educational modules ?nd behavioral techniques. Special education teachers work ?lon? or w?th general education teachers t? individualize lessons, develop problem-solving techniques ?nd integrate children int? group projects with oth?r students. Furthermore, special education teachers ?re responsible f?r ensuring th?t the ne?ds ?f disabled children ar? met during assessment periods.

Did ?ou know that special education teachers work w?th ? team ?f professionals, qualified staff and family in order t? fulfill their job requirements? It ?? true. In fact, special education teachers work in conjunction with th?s? entities to create an Individualized Education Program (IEP) f?r ?a?h student. An IEP ?? designed in collaboration with a child's parents, school principal, social worker, speech pathologist ?nd general education teacher t? ensure effective implementation. An IEP targets ? student's needs and growth areas for maximum response. The specialized goals set by the IEP ?r? woven throughout all aspects of ? child's daily activities. Teachers of special education must monitor a child's setbacks and progress ?nd report back to parents ?nd administrators. Planned goals ?nd tasks ar? outlined f?r family members to refer t? whil? a student ?s ?t home a? well.

The types ?f disabilities a special education teacher m?ght encounter ?r? difficult t? predict. For one, the qualifications for special education services vary greatly from mild disabilities t? extreme cases ?f mental retardation or autism. Types ?f disabilities include, but ?r? not limited to, the following: speech impairments, hearing disabilities, emotional disturbances, orthopedic impairments, brain trauma cases, blindness, deafness and learning disabilities.

Do You Exhibit These Qualities?

Now th?t y?u h?v? an idea of th? job's demands, let'? s?? ?f y?u h?ve the right qualities to b? a special education teacher.

Recognize the symptoms and n?ed? of special ne?d? students

Patience

Ability to work w?th ?n? ?r m?r? parties to achieve short-term ?nd long-term goals

Strong communication skills

Ability t? motivate others

Ability to multi-task

Knowledge of th? mo?t recent education modules, medical research and behavioral practices
# Creativity

Knowledge ?f th? latest medical technology relevant t? special education

Taking the Next Step t?ward a New Career

Once ?ou h?v? decided to enter th? field of special education, you w?ll n?ed to follow several steps. Due to th? specialization ?f th? field, special education teachers ?n all 50 states must receive licensure bef?re employment. Licensures ?re approved b? each state's board ?f education, and th? requirements f?r certification differ b?twe?n states. Nevertheless, the growing shortage ?f special education teachers h?? led institutions ?f higher education to offer m?r? special education degree and certification programs. In fact, special education degrees ?r? offered ?t th? bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels thr?ughout the nation. Not t? mention, the booming field of distance learning ha? made certification m?re accessible from any location ?n th? United States.

In man? cases, hopeful special education professionals do not meet th? requirements of special education licensure due t? their prior completion ?f degree programs outs?d? of th? field of education. Therefore, s?veral states h?v? begun t? offer alternate forms of certification. The hope of th?s? programs ?s t? attract n?w special education professionals and fill the growing ne?d f?r teachers. The chance to positively impact the lives ?f special needs children is ?n? ?f the driving motivations and benefits of entering this field.

After ??veral years, ??m? special education teachers lo?k f?r new opportunities w?th?n the?r field. In th? most common situations, special education professionals transfer t? administrative ?r supervisory positions. Others, aft?r receiving a higher degree, be??me college professors ?nd educate n?w students in the field ?f special education. Experienced teachers ?f special ne?d? students h?v? al?? moved up t? serve as mentors to incoming special education teachers.

As for the future ?f special education and employment, th?re ?r? many ?h?nges on th? horizon. Most significantly, th? job market in special education, ????rd?ng to the Bureau ?f Labor Statistics (BLS), is projected t? "increase faster than th? average ?f all occupations b? 2014." Due t? th? new emphasis ?n education ?nd training in legislature, special education professionals will b??ome ?v?n more valued.

Can I Make ? Living a? a Special Education Teacher?

As mentioned previously, th? special education job market ?? on th? rise. In 2004, th? BLS reported 441,000 employed special education teachers in the nation. While only 6 percent worked within private schools, ov?r 90 percent w?r? employed b? public schools ?r districts. In rare cases, special education professionals w?r? involved ?n home ?r hospital care.

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