What Drives a Good Special Education Teacher?

Even with the rise in the number of private special education schools, one common issue affecting such schools is the shortage of good teachers; this is backed by the fact that 49 of the 50 states in the US report shortage of special education teachers.

Why is it so? It is because many are unable to cope with the stress and hard work associated with being a special education teacher.

Special education teachers have lot more responsibilities than regular teachers. Meeting parents, teaching special students, paperwork pertaining to student reports, and arranging events – these are only a few of the many tasks entrusted to them.

Common challenges faced by special students are- understanding what is being taught, proper communication with teachers, and interaction with their classmates among many others; they need the best possible care and education, thus making the role of a teacher all the more important.

We can see many teachers succeeding where others have failed. There are countless teachers who have been special education teachers for a long time.

What is the secret to their success?

I asked my neighbor Lisa, who taught in a private special education school in New York about her teaching methods. She’s into her 4^th year as a special education teacher. She told me to visit her class someday.

I arrived during her mathematics class. Not wanting to disturb anybody, I quietly took a seat far back in the classroom.

She was teaching her students how to solve simple equations to find the unknown values. She wrote down some questions on the board.

The students copied them down and got to work.

The class was surprisingly quiet and the students seemed focused. Lisa was moving around, checking every single student to see if they are facing any issue in solving the problems. She seemed completely engrossed in her work, and her passion was evident.

Later, I asked the students about the class.

Everyone had the same reply- “I don’t like math very much, but the numbers make sense when Miss Lisa explains it”

This made me realize that a passion for the job and a desire to contribute for one of the noblest causes are what drives a good teacher.