Norine Lomonte: I've worked in special ed for 8 years. I spent 6 as an elementary special ed teacher and I've been a central office administrator for the past two years. I started teaching beginning and aspiring special ed teachers at the local university in Fall 2004.The licensure/master's program in special ed is like any other master's program. You have to do the work to get the grade. There is also an internship component, where you have to put in time in K-12 schools and student teach.I loved teaching special ed, and I can't imagine having a career in any other field. I feel called to work in this area. Teaching is stressful--it's like putting on a 6 hour play every day and you have to be ready to go when those kids walk in. But, the intrinsic benefits outweigh the difficulties. I think the "burnout" tends to be cyclical. There are times during the school year when the stress is higher and teaching is more difficult. I never burned out in the classroom and! I'd still be doing it if I wasn't plucked out to take an admin job!In VA, if you have begun your master's/licensure in special ed, you can get a job teaching. The outlook is quite good since it's a critical needs area in teaching....Show more
Cody Shimko: Teaching spec. ed is a very rewarding career. It can be very stressfull and overwhelming at times, but overall, I truly love my job. Since you don't have any experience yet, I definitely suggest spending time in a few different special education settings. I teach a self-contained classroom at the 2nd grade level- this setting is totally different than a high school resource room. Getting a feel for the different opportunities will help you make a decision. In my experience, burnout is less of an issue when you have a supportive administration as well as decent classroom assistants and aides. I've been teaching for seven years and definitely am still loving it....Show more
Virgilio Echter: As everyone above ! has said, PLEASE GET SOME EXPERIENCE first. Special education! students are challenging and tough, and so rewarding. But not everyone feels that way. Only YOU can make that decision for yourself. I've known a number of people who went into the field and "burned out" in the first year, because they had no idea that special education students weren't the students they should be interacting with on a 6 hour a day basis. I am a Special Educator and I love my job. I love my students. I love my school. And I get so stressed out sometimes I have to sit down and cry for an hour before I can go home, pay bills, or get anything else done. This is the most heart breaking, and heart Warming career I could have ever chosen for myself. Spend some time with these kids. Get to know them. In the end it comes down to the kids and your dedication to them....Show more
Andrew Sinatra: I did the same thing you did. Depending on the school and type it can be diffucult. I would reccommend volunteering with special eduation students in a var! iety of programs and see if it is for you. If you do not have to take the GRE then don't
Betsey Muehlbach: I don't teach, but I am a parent of two special needs children (autism) I do have a lot of experience with their teachers however, and I wanted to say that a LOT of the job depends on the school system you are in. If you have a school with good supports, appropriate funding and involved parents, it will be a lot more pleasant and rewarding than a school who is fighting your changes, won't provide ongoing training, and fights parents on aides and assistants.Several of the people who have worked with my children are angels in my eyes. They are truly special people, who need more good people working with them. There have been a few who were pure evil (abusing children, using one-on-one time to surf the net, I caught one assistant taking a NAP while she was supposed to be helping my daughter check out library books). But the ones who are choosing to work with the ki! ds, and smile while doing it, are those who excel. Funny note:We had on! e teacher who lasted six months. Thank goodness my kids were mainstreamed. She wanted to dress like a model for school every day, long skirts, high heeled boots, dangling earrings and necklaces. You can't wear that stuff when you're chasing down run away autistic kids! LOL! It is hard work, but I think the ultimate reward. Teaching typical kids has it's own reward, but when you teach someone who was never expected to achieve, that is a special reward....Show more
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Mildred Pombo: I am a special ed. teacher. I work with students with autism. I would first advise that you sit in on a class with the type of students that you interested in working with. I will be honest teaching students with exceptionalities can be a challenge, but it is so rewarding! I know here in the south they cannot find enough special ed. teachers, so you will definitely be able to find a job quickly. Also check in with colleges....some will accept you regardless of GRE score. Goo! d Luck! and GOD bless!...Show more
Raelene Cunnick: I am a special education teacher in a small town in Missouri. I started my master's program, but had to put it on hold for awhile.The first 20 hours were very easy for me, however, I had a degree in elementary education to begin with, and teaching experience to draw upon.I love teaching. It is not an easy job though. I teach in a middle school my first hour has three different groups going on. (7-8 grade ld science and a student that is MR. My second hour is 6-7 social studies and an autistic student. I have only one class period where one grade level and subject are being taught, but different modifcations are being made for different students. I do have an aide, sometimes 2 but planning for the different subjects can require more time than my plan time allows.Is it stressful? OMG yes, but that can be part of the enjoyment of the job. It changes constantly. There are lots times that I look around my room an! d wonder when the circus got into town, and other times I look at my ro! om and marvel at all the learning really happening. I've been doing special education for 8 years, and yes I have experienced burnout. I have two children at home that I often feel are not getting enough of me because i am busy doing other tihings. But when I stop smiling on the inside, then I know it will be time to do something else. THe job lookout in Special education is Great. There is a lot of job security, and openings are abundant. The best thing you can do right now if shadow a teacher in your area. Follow them through the day, talk about lesson planning, and the trials and successes they see on a daily basis. Watch how the manuever through some sticky situations, and decide if that is the life for you. It can be and is very rewarding.Best of luck in your decision...Show more
Nedra Oltz: I'm a Special Education teacher. I work with children who have various disabilities and disorders though. Most Special Education is thought of as those who need hel! p with Reading, Math and so on. I have a highly stressful job but I love it. To be in my field you have to have training in working with these children. You also have to have tremendous patience.There is no room for error with a child who has autism, down syndrome, or other behavior disorders. I have worked in a regular Special Education classroom and found it boring. Good Luck to you....Show more
Kelly Bistodeau: I am currently a special education teacher and a licensed school counselor. I actually got my counseling license first but went back for my degree in Special Education (I wasn't an education student until after 4 years of college). Before you go into a program for Special Education you need to really think about several things.1. What grade levels do you want to teach.2. There are a variety of disabilities out there. The primary ones are:LD (Learning Disability) - Some problems but mainly just learning disabled.EBD (Emotional Behavioral Disability) - ! Behaviorally troubled, poverty, poor home life, can't behavior in socia! l setting.CD (Congnitive Disability) - Students with Mental Retardation, Autism, etc... Which of these areas would you like to work in. It will make a difference. 3. Do you like to work with people who aren't always nice or really don't care about their kids? (Not always the case...don't worry).4. Do you like to do a lot of paperwork and are you a creative writer? IEP's (Individualized Education Plans) are required for every special education student and depending upon what state you are in, can be very in depth.5. Are you a well documented person? Can you write down what you do daily, can you cover your butt if you need to. In Special Education, you run across many people with a tremendous sense of entitlement whom you will need to combat with numbers and documented calls, letters, etc...6. Can you work in pressure situations and angry people?7. Can you let people fail in order to see them succeed later? 8. Do you get along with people well? 9. Do you like ! kids?10. How are you with Acronyms? Special Education is absolutely riddled with Acronyms for every disability and name under the sun. Knowing these can make your life very easy or very confused. It is the toughest part of the job because when you write IEP's, you can cut off about 2 pages of paperwork.So what would I recommend:1. Go and substitute teach at schools in your area. You may or may not need to be a teacher to do this. Expose yourself to as many different disabilities and grade levels as possible.2. Be selective. There are a TON of special education jobs out there. If you choose to go through a program, ask the schools you are applying to a ton of questions about personel. Your colleagues can either make or break you in Special Education.3. Look for support and strength. Determine how strong your administrators are if they will back you up or question your actions constantly. 4. Be progressive. It will take a couple of years to get your feet wet, ! but when you do, master the skills you have and never stop having fun b! y getting better and trying new things.5. Know your limits. If something doesn't appear right in a job, don't take it.6. Caseload...ALWAYS ASK ABOUT CASELOADS. Many caseloads should not go over 15 - 18 kids (LD) and decreasing as the disabilities get more severe. If people say, well, you will have 20 kids on your caseload...remember, that is about 300 pages of IEP (total) during the year you will have to write AND 20 meetings YOU have to schedule. Do I like my job!Yes...I love it. It has taken me a while to find my niche' but once you do, the career is rewarding for you and the students. Burnout...yep, there are tons of people who have burn out. Burnout comes from many areas, mainly caseload numbers, co-worker issues, lack of support from adminstrators, really really tough kids, and absolutely crazy parents who want nothing more than to get a teacher fired. When several of these happen at the same time, you are bound for burn out. You can combat burnout by being ! selective about your job and where you work. The more you know and the more comfortable you are, the easier the job.The job outlook is great. You will pretty much have your pick of job and area. If you are a person of ethnicity, all the more power to you...you will get hired anywhere. When you get your Masters, you will start higher on the payscale too. That is always a perk. I Don't think you need a GRE to graduate or get into a college. Also, you really should check in to you local CESA or State Department of Education. There are programs that allow you to get your Degree very quickly.Best of luck. It is a great career if you are able to self advocate and get the job that is right for you....Show more
Leif Andreason: Burn out is extremely high. I am in my fifth year teaching, fourth in SPED. I am ready to get out. Most of my issue with my profession is how ineffective I have been feeling. A lot of this is based on our school's current set up...This can ! be a very rewarding job, there is an extreme need for patient, caring t! eachers. If this is you I would encourage you to go for it. You could pick the school corporation you want to work for. (at least that is the case in Indiana)...Show more
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