Job Description - Salary, Education and Career Guide for becoming a Special Education Teacher

If you are looking for a rewarding career with an opportunity to help children, consider teaching special education. Special education teachers help children with learning challenges to reach their full potential. By tailoring teaching methods to individual needs, special education teachers enable these children to achieve much more than they would with a general classroom education. Some of the many types of challenges special education teachers help children to overcome include:
  • autism
  • combined deafness and blindness
  • emotional disturbance
  • hearing impairments
  • mental retardation
  • multiple disabilities
  • orthopedic impairments
  • specific learning disabilities
  • speech or language impairments
  • traumatic brain injury
  • visual impairments.

Job Description

Most special education teachers work in classrooms and teach many of the same skills as mainstream teachers. They follow a curriculum, assign work and grade papers. Some schools provide year-round special education, however most special education teachers work only during the traditional 10-month school year. Here are a few major differences between regular classroom teaching and special education:
  • Children with severe mental disabilities are primarily taught life skills and basic literacy.
  • In addition to teaching academic subjects, special education teachers help students with behavioral, emotional and social development.
  • Some special education teachers have their own classrooms and teach only special needs students. These classes are usually smaller than general classes, and a teacher's assistant may be assigned to help manage the class.
  • Special education teachers may also work alongside general education teachers in a regular classroom with both general and special needs students.
  • Special education is much more individualized than mainstream classes. Special education teachers help develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP), which defines personalized goals appropriate for each student's abilities and challenges. A teacher of special education must review the IEP with parents, any general education teachers the student works with and school administrators, working closely with all parties to monitor student progress.
Most special education teacher jobs involve work with school-age children, although some of these teachers work with infants and toddlers. Teaching challenged children can be both extremely rewarding and emotionally draining. Special education teachers often face the added stress of heavy administrative workloads as they are often required to produce extensive documentation of each student's progress.

Salary Guide

Special education teacher salaries average about $46,360 per year. The outlook for special education teachers is promising. Jobs for teachers are expected to grow at an above average rate through 2016. The majority special education teacher jobs are in public and private schools, although some openings exist in:
  • homebound and hospital environments
  • individual and social assistance agencies
  • residential facilities.

Education and Training

To become a special education teacher, all 50 states require you to obtain a license. To do this, you will need at least a bachelor's degree and an approved training program in special education. Some institutions require a fifth year of study or other graduate level coursework, and many states now require a master's degree. For those who have earned a bachelor's degree in another field before deciding to teach, most states have alternative licensure programs.

Prior Work Experience

While employers favor previous teaching experience, many certified special education teachers begin working in their field immediately after completing their education and student teaching internship. Any previous work experience involving working with special needs children, such as a camp counselor or volunteer can prove helpful at a job interview.

Career Advancement

Through work experience and continuing education, special education teachers may be promoted to positions such as:
  • administrators
  • counselors
  • principals.
They may also choose to become instructors of special education courses at colleges and universities.

Related Associations and Groups

For more information about special education teaching careers, you may want to contact:
  • National Center for Special Education Personnel & Related Service Providers
  • The Council for Exceptional Children.

 

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