Do you have a passion for teaching children with special needs and help them improve their lives? If so, you can always consider becoming a special education teacher. These teachers work with children who suffer from a range of disabilities, from mild to moderate. Through modified general education curriculum, they teach social skills and basic literacy to children and youth. As a special education teacher, you may either work at preschool, elementary school or middle school. Or you can also instruct infant and toddlers with special needs. Read on to know more about this teaching occupation, job description, typical duties, educational qualification and training required and career prospects that await you in this field.

 

Job Description
The main job duty of special education teachers is to instruct and teach children with disabilities like speech impairment, language impairment, mental retardation, hearing impairment, visual impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury etc. They make necessary modifications in the general education curriculum to match the individual requirements of children with special needs. The teacher has to play a very crucial role in the early identification of the requirements of children with special needs. Early identification results in early intervention which is essential in educating these children.

 

The special needs of children vary from one child to another. Special education teachers are formally trained to use a variety of techniques to deal with children suffering from disabilities. Depending on a child's individual needs, the teacher may assign specific problem solving tasks, give specialized instruction or assign a small group work.

 

Special education teachers also assist in the development of Individualized Education Program (IEP) for each student with special needs. The IEPs are developed in sets according to the special requirements of children receiving special education. These teachers work in close contact with school administrators, general education teachers and the student's parents. They keep the chid's parents well informed of the progress that their child is making and suggest other techniques that parents can use to improve the children's social and literacy skills outside school.

 

Work Environment
Though it is a highly rewarding career, The occupation of a special education teacher is quite challenging. At the same time, the teaching career also brings you a lot of job satisfaction as you help children with special needs learn social skills and literacy and improve their lives. Both physically and emotionally, the job is demanding. Teachers need to do a lot of paperwork and documentation to record the progress of children receiving special education.

 

Educational Qualification & Training
As compared to general education teachers, special education teachers undergo extended period of training. There are several colleges and universities across the United States offering special education training programs - undergraduate degree, master's degree and doctoral degree. Those who spire to become special education teachers also need to obtain licensure. Licensing is required in all the 50 states and the District of Columbia. To be able to become licensed, candidates need to possess at least a bachelor's degree and complete an approved training program in special education.

 

Job Skills
Besides possessing the required special education degree and be licensed, teachers also need to possess some essential job skills to perform their job duties efficiently. Some of the most essential skills include organizational skills, motivational skills, patience, excellent communication, creativity etc. Teachers must have the capability to identify children's special needs.

 

Job Outlook
According to the US Labor Statistics Bureau, special education teachers occupied around 473,000 jobs in the year 2008 in the United States. Most of these professionals worked in private and public educational institutions. The employment growth rate for these teaching jobs is expected to grow faster than the average of all other occupations. Special education teaching jobs will grow at the rate of 17 percent from 2008 through to 2018.

 

Annual Salary
Salaries of teachers will vary depending on whether they work in preschool, elementary school, middle school or in secondary school. Those who are employed in elementary schools earn a median annual salary of around $50,020. Special education teachers working in secondary schools earned an annual salary ranging between $41,810 and $65,680. Depending on their educational qualification, experience and skill sets, the annual salary of these teachers can go up to $82,000.

The field of education and teaching offers a host of career opportunities for aspiring candidates. Depending on their interests, candidates can choose to become special education teachers, teacher's aides or special education administrators. To make a successful career in the field of education, candidates need to obtain a degree according to their career goals. Those who like to take up teaching positions should possess a bachelor's degree in education and other necessary teaching certifications. Special education teaching jobs bring a variety of challenges for professionals. There are children who are developmentally delayed or less development in terms of their academic capabilities. The responsibility of special education teachers is not only to teach such children but also help their reach their true academic potential.

 

Besides training children in academics or teaching them, these professionals also equip children with social and life skills. In many cases, the developmentally delayed children happen to be bright students, but they lag behind only sue to some kind of disabilities that hinders the process of their learning. Special education teachers, therefore, are responsible for creating required capabilities in these children so that the latter can learn on their own and can be able to cope with their studies.

 

Those who pursue special education can choose one of the following career paths or job positions.

 

Teacher's Aide
Also referred to as para-educators, teacher's aide hold a responsible position in special education departments. Though a major part of their job is to assist special education teachers in their task, these professionals also have the responsibility of coaching students who have different kinds of learning disabilities. Teachers need the assistance from the special education teacher's aide on many occasions including grading of papers, lesson presentation and for participating in classroom activities.

 

Educational Requirements
Generally, no previous training is required to work as teacher's aide. Most of the skills are learnt on the job. However, some classes and certifications may be required to function as para-educators depending on the state rules and regulations. In any case, a strong passion to helping children with learning disabilities is required.

 

Early Childhood Special Educator
As is evident from the title, these educators work with or help children aged below 5 years. These education professionals hold to responsibility to prepare infants and toddlers for attending school. While working for special education students, you would be in close touch with students' parents, social workers, therapists etc. Learning disabilities and impairments may vary from one child to another. Early childhood special educators develop strategies to provide a developmental environment for toddlers.

 

Educational Requirements
Though many private schools will need any specific education, a bachelor's degree is the standard requirement to function as early childhood special educator.

 

Special Education Teachers
This is one of the most challenging and extremely responsible special education careers in this field. Candidates can choose to work as primary or secondary special education teachers. These responsible teaching positions require candidates to work in close contact with parents and school administrators. Responsibilities of these professionals include assessing the performance of students, teaching social and life skills, developing special need students curricula and helping students in their emotional and behavioral development among others.

 

Educational Requirements
A bachelor's degree or a master's degree in special education is required for this occupation. In addition, a completed teaching certificate is also needed to make career as special education teachers.

 

Special Education Administrator
This is a higher ranking position in the field of education and teaching. The special education administrator looks after the administrative operations of the special education department. Major responsibilities of these professionals include reviewing and controlling the budget, curricula handling, supporting teachers and working towards the overall growth and productivity of the department. The administrator may also need to resolve conflicting issues between teachers and parents. They are also responsible for delivering the special need students' progress reports.

 

Educational Requirements
Candidates who aspire to make a career as special education administrator need a master's degree in special education or a doctoral degree in the same field. Some real world administrative experience works as a benefit in obtaining jobs.