I was accepted into a teaching fellowship and placed as a special ed teacher. I knew nothing about special ed at the time and had no opinions on it. After doing this for four years, I now am passionate about the education of students with special needs, especially those in urban areas (which already has it’s own set of issues to begin with). Even though my enthusiasm for classroom teaching is beginning to wane, I still want to do something that deals with helping people with disabilities at some level. Please share how you entered this profession.
Like you, I was drawn into special ed because I couldn’t get a job in my chosen subject, PE. I had never even heard of special ed and suddenly I was teaching it. I became passionate and tried to learn everything I could to help these kids out. I ended up teaching children with emotional disturbance because I am an abuse survivor myself and had emotional problems in school, so I really knew what was going on with them.
Like you, I burned out after 14 years and so I began studying behavior analysis. I completely fell in love with it and now have been a behavior analyst for a school district for 8 years.
This is a young field on the rise and fascinating. You may want to look into it. The University of South Florida has the program, as well as others. You can even do it online while teaching, though you will need supervision when you begin working in the field.
Other very good fields are physical therapy and speech language pathology, where you help but don’t teach. Teaching is the hardest field and can and will burn you out.
I had been approached many times over my 28-year teaching career to join the special education ranks. I realized I had many students over the years with disabilities, including my own children. I had taught remedial and correctional education. When the district closed my school, I added another credential and another degree to enter the field of special education officially.
References :
Like you, I was drawn into special ed because I couldn’t get a job in my chosen subject, PE. I had never even heard of special ed and suddenly I was teaching it. I became passionate and tried to learn everything I could to help these kids out. I ended up teaching children with emotional disturbance because I am an abuse survivor myself and had emotional problems in school, so I really knew what was going on with them.
Like you, I burned out after 14 years and so I began studying behavior analysis. I completely fell in love with it and now have been a behavior analyst for a school district for 8 years.
This is a young field on the rise and fascinating. You may want to look into it. The University of South Florida has the program, as well as others. You can even do it online while teaching, though you will need supervision when you begin working in the field.
Other very good fields are physical therapy and speech language pathology, where you help but don’t teach. Teaching is the hardest field and can and will burn you out.
References :
Behavior Analyst
I got a job babysitting a child with special needs after school when I was 14-he beat the crap out of me-knocked me unconscious, etc….
but 10 years later he was a productive human being……
References :