Special Education Teachers
Who are SPED Teachers?
A special education teacher is a profession who works with children with a wide range of disabilities. Special needs teachers are patient, understanding educators dedicated to giving each child the tools and guidance needed to help them maximize success. Special needs teachers work with students with mental, emotional, or physical disabilities. The most of special needs teachers work with children with moderate to severe disabilities, modifying the general education curriculum to meet the student's individual needs and providing required instruction. Special needs teachers instruct students all throughout their school year.
Roles and Responsibilities of Special Needs Teachers
Special needs teachers work with students who have a wide range disabilities. These specially-trained teachers create and apply appropriate curricula and assign specific activities to each student’s abilities and needs. Also, they involve themselves in each student’s academic and social development. Special education teachers assist in developing Individualized Education Programs for each individual student. The Individualized Education Program is designed to develop individual goals and achievements for the student and is modified to the student’s abilities and needs. They work very closely with the child’s parents and they keep them updated on progress and make recommendations to promote learning in the home.
In present days, the special education teacher plays very critical role in the education exceptional students. The special needs teachers have many different roles in the educational environment and each of these roles involves a variety of responsibilities. Understanding these responsibilities help special need teachers become familiar with the role and increase the chances for achievement and success.
Special needs teachers work in a variety of settings and have different kind of responsibilities. Some have their own classrooms and teach only special needs students; others work as special education resource teachers and can offer individual help to students in general education classrooms; others education teachers teach in classes where both general and special education students. Some special needs teachers separate from their general education classroom and work with special education students for certain hours a day in a resource room, and fewer special needs teachers work in residential facilities, tutor students in their home place or hospital environments.
My interview with non certified special education teacher
I had an interview with a teacher who has a lot of experience in special education. This interview proves that teachers in the USA care about children with disabilities and about their achievements in learning. They take their jobs seriously. I believe that role of special needs teachers is big and important in a special education. As an example, I would like to share Mrs. Chapman’s current work with a special needs student.
The school where Mrs. Chapman works is small. In her classroom, she has one student with learning difficulties. If this child would be in the public school in the USA he would be referred for an IEP where the classroom teacher, speech-language pathologist, special education teacher, school administration would work in collaboration but he is at an international school in a remote area in Kazakhstan. Unfortunately, he can’t get support and help over here. So, Mrs. Chapman is taking responsibility for that student. At certain times in a school day she pulls him out for special learning class. Also, she collaborates with the parents of that student and sometimes they have meetings to discuss education program for him, where he is struggling where he is getting better etc. I remember when that child just came to our school. He could only communicate with sounds. Now, he can pronounce words very clearly. His speech slowly is developing. Parents are very happy with the progress that child has made so far but most importantly the student is learning without stress and he is very happy. And Mrs. Chapman is providing for him that happiness.
By watching videos and reading blogs, I noticed that special needs teachers take their jobs as a challenge rather as a job. They go through that adventure that kids with disabilities going through by sharing happiness and sadness together. They work with a lot of love and passion. They take each child as someone special. If Kazakhstan would have special education teachers like in the USA many kids would be happy and independent. I hope in the future discrimination against people with disabilities will stop and public schools will change their rules about special needs students. Learning about students with disabilities lets me see the world with a different view. It was a very interesting topic to learn and at the same time this topic brings me sadness. I discovered that government doesn’t support students with disabilities, people discriminate against special needs students. I heard how one of our local staff said that if her child would be in the same classroom with a special needs child it would affect her negatively. She stated that special needs kids should stay away from “healthy” kids. Her statement brought me to tears. But in the world, we have people like Mrs. Chapman and many other special needs teachers who gave these children big hope for a successful future.