Resources from Rachel
Choosing a lifelong career can be scary. The thought of investing so much time and effort into something that you may or may not enjoy, is nerve-wrecking. Take me for example. My name is Rachel and I am a simple, small town special education director. Originally I went to school for business. Young and undecided I chose that degree from a random list on a piece of paper. Business sounded important and versatile. About 3 years into the business world was all it took for me to decide to go back to school to get my teaching credential. I loved the idea of being a part of something that impacts the future. I knew teaching would be the right career for me!
Why work in the special education field?
As a Special Education Director/Resource Specialist of a small school district in Northern California, I found my purpose! Not only do I enjoy the rewarding feeling of working with students, but I enjoy providing resources for teachers in the special education field. I create resources for SPED teachers. I make resources I wish were available to me when I first started teaching in special education.
Check out my TpT store by clicking here: Resources From Rachel.
Working in special education means learning from each other and creating more awareness and acceptance.
Resources from Rachel
I enjoy educating people on different aspects of special education through my blog: Click HERE to visit my blog: ResourcesFromRachel.com.
Read more about working in SPED:
Resources from Rachel
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Start with Baseline Data in SPED.
Many people that work in special education agree, “Working in special education is a must”!
Here are the Top 5 Reasons to Work in Special Education:
*The Small Things: When you work with the special education population, accomplishing a simple task could be a life-changing “win”! For example, in a classroom with typically developing students, we see successes through obvious big things such as: assignments turned in on-time, showing respect in the classroom, getting good grades, sitting quietly when the teacher is talking, etc. In a special education classroom, we see successes through small things such as: being able to throw a ball, following teacher directions the first time asked, writing a legible sentence, sitting quietly for up to 7 minutes without interrupting, or having age-appropriate social interactions with peers. It’s easy to fall into a pattern of expecting a lot from our students. When you work in special education, it takes you back to the beginning. We need to remember celebrate every “win” no matter how big or small. Every small win creates an atmosphere of positivity. Who wouldn’t want to work in a positive environment?
Resources from Rachel
*The Students Make You Better Teachers: Some say that a person will be happy in a career where they never stop learning. Special education is just that! The students will teach you more than you will ever teach them. A previous coworker of mine described it accurately when he said, “It’s not why aren’t the students learning what I’m teaching, it’s how can I change the way I teach so I can meet the way they learn.” When you work in special education, it allows for the creative and flexible part of your mind to shine. You realize that learning to work with each student, slowly helps you become more equipped with skills needed to work in special education. Special education teachers are constantly learning, even when they don’t know it!
*Working as a Team: The word “teamwork” is thrown around a lot these days. It is important to know how to work with a team for a greater good. Special education is team effort. Special education team members get to work with the administration, psychologists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, counselors, special education directors, parents, students, and general education teachers (to name a few). One of my favorite parts about working as a team is being able to hear the perspectives of the student’s success from all members. What you notice when you work with your student, someone else may not notice when they work with the same student. It’s all those pieces together, that give the student the best chance for success.
*High Demand for Great Help in Special Education: With an increase of students being identified comes an increased demand for highly qualified individuals to work in special education. In lots of areas, there has been a decrease of interest in becoming a special education teacher. The reasons remain unclear. Maybe it’s because of a low teaching salary? Maybe it’s because of the amount of work required? Whatever the reason may be, the high demand has created a list of open job opportunities in special education. Being in a field with many open positions gives a need for your expertise and a sense of job security.
*Becoming a Lifelong Advocate: By putting in much time and effort with each family, special educators build great rapports with families. These working relationships don’t just go away when the student graduates. A teacher could end up being a student’s case manager for a very long time. Case managing and building rapport leads to trust. In some cases you become so invested in the success of a student, you become a lifelong trusted advocate for them. There is nothing more rewarding than being able to watch your student conquer each phase of life.
Working in special education will leave you happy and humbled.
For more posts about working in special education, click HERE- ResourcesFromRachel.com.