Regular education teacher. should i teach special ed.?
368179
Sure, go for it!  You'll learn a lot of tricks that you can use when you're able to find a job as a regular education teacher.  Who knows, maybe you'll decide to stay in special ed!
1072833
Since you have a learning disability, you will want to make sure you have prepared ahead of time.\n\nHave a list of answers for:\n--How you will organize your classroom.\n--Your "philosophy of education."\n--What is the purpose of special education?\n--How will you work with regular ed teachers?\n--How will you involve parents?\n--Examples of how you will adapt and modify curriculum and classroom environment for different student needs.\n--What tasks will you assign your E.A.?\n--How will you build in state standards and benchmarks for each child's actual grade level while still addressing their developmental level?\n\nAnd so on.\n\nHave someone sit down and ask the questions to you while you practice saying your answers. Also have them ask questions you haven't thought of, to practice mixing and combining your ideas.\n\nGood luck!
699265
I became a special education teacher because I grew up with a sister who has a significant developmental disability.  Now that we are both adults, I am her conservator, because our father is deceased and our mother is in poor health.  So I can relate to both sides of this equation.\n\nAs a family member, I know how important it is to know that my loved one is getting the concern and attention she needs and deserves.  I do get annoyed when the adult program she is now in doesn't communicate with me, especially when it is an issue that could have more easily been resolved had they been in touch with me as soon as the problem arose.\n\nAs a teacher, I make a sincere effort to communicate with the families of my students.  In addition to the classroom phone number,  I give everyone my email address and my voice mail number, and I send a communication notebook home with each child.  Ideally, I would be able to jot a quick note daily, but in reality, I have 10 students, and if I spend even 3 minutes writing to each person, that's 30 minutes a day.  I don't have a planning period like the general ed teachers do, and because of the special needs of my students, I cannot just send them out to recess or to the cafeteria;  I need to be present with them.  So I am literally on duty from the moment the kids arrive until they leave in the afternoon.  I only use the restroom after checking that my assistant is OK with managing things for 4 or 5 minutes.   Our kids need assistance with toileting, and about half are not toilet trained or have accidents.  About half my students do not communicate verbally, and nearly as many have significant behavioral issues, including physical aggression. And then there is the need to work on the specific IEP goals of each student;  with 10 students, we are responsible for implementing activities and collecting data on anywhere from 60 to 100+ objectives.   It's an incredibly intense and busy day, and if you haven't lived it, you really can't appreciate it.  \n\nAnd as I said, I have the legal responsibility for a sibling with a disability, as well as taking care of a mother who is in severe decline mentally and physically.  And I have a husband and children who need my attention and care.  And now and again, I would just like to have a couple of hours where I could just think about myself.  But I spend between 50 and 75 hours per week on classroom related activity, because I LOVE my job and I LOVE my students. \n\nSo - as far as your particular situation is concerned, knowing first hand the stresses of both family and of teachers - I would not make a judgment.  As I said, if I even take 3 minutes of time during the school day to write a note to each parent, I have spent 30 minutes of my instructional day, which is 30 minutes that I am not teaching anyone.  (And time yourself - you can't write much in 3 minutes, especially if you are supervising 10 kids with special needs at the same time.) \n\nI do try to give the benefit of the doubt to the families of my students when they are not exactly considerate or politically correct in their communications with me.  I also try to do the same when the residential and adult programs involved with my sister communicate.  We are all human, with lives outside the immediate moment, and none of us is without fault.  So perhaps, when you are able to communicate in a calm and unemotional way, you could ask the teacher to clarify what she meant.  Try something along the lines of "I understood you to say that I shouldn't make waves because my son's IEP was nearly taken away.  Is that a correct interpretation, or did I misunderstand?"  And please be open to the possibility that you did not understand what she meant.  Life is full of miscommunication, even between people who know each other well;  communication is a two-way street, and both sides need to keep the roads open.
222497
Inclusion does work, if there are also pull-out programs available to provide additional academic and/or behavioral supports when absolutely needed. Regular ed teachers in inclusive schools must also be highly trained regarding special needs students and alternative learning needs, and be willing to work as close team members with special educators, therapists, etc. It doesn't work in all places, or for all students, but it can be highly effective for the right students with the right professional team.\n\nParents are the strongest advocates to help make any program effective, whether inclusive, pull-out, or segregated. Be there to praise staff when things are working, and to question (and challenge) when things aren't effective. You know you're effective when your child is showing academic progress, is staying out of trouble, and the administrators at your child's school call you "ma'am" or "sir" and act both polite and nervous around you.\n\nGood luck!
232835
I'm not from jersey, but why don't you talk to you daughters teachers they should have alot of information on this, also why not trying special education, they will be able to work one on one and can work at a slower pace for her, also try looking in a phone book for help, look on your computer for areas close to your home for help, hooked on phonics and no I'm not making fun. I hope this has helped you
569432
I teach jr. high self-contained special ed. My district has no curriculum for that....hhmmmm, so I teach English, reading, soc. stud. science, and math every day to my self-contained class and I do ALL the curriculum myself, every day,  something different and exciting, for 6 hours every day,as well as all the tons of extra paperwork demanded by special education "in my spare time"  OMG, WHAT was I thinking!!!!  lol
293910
Since you posted your question in the Special Education area, may be a job teaching Special Education, i.e. teaching kids with disabilities.
1090801
Education and healthcare. Call me boring, but that's where it's needed most. I would divide it between the two. And I was reading what one person said about teaching the English language--believe me, that is not a priority. There are special needs kids in schools who aren't getting the attention they deserve due to budget cuts. Do your homework before you open your mouth, or rather, before you type something prejudicial instead of useful. The English studies come secondary to that.
228777
I have a 16 yr.old son who has add and he is in behaverhol special ed. He causes commotions in his classes (as do other students) and I am sure the learning process is disturbed. I feel that alot of times the teachers in public school are not equipped to handle these children. I get calls from these teachers for the same things that the regular ed teachers called me for.I was under the assumption that is why they put him in special ed so that he can be with teachers that know how to handle these kids but it doesnt seem to be the case.They still deserve to have an education.
742183
I would say it would depend on the age group.  If you're teaching little kids, 1 X a week would seem appropriate to me however, if you're teaching an older set of classmen a full term with daily tutelage would be more instructional and more intensive.
373767
The students always make it worth it, but you're in for lots of stress and heartburn (mostly administrative).  The coursework (if you keep your answers "politically correct") is pretty straightforward. Learn education-profession lingo, get faimiliar with laws, rules, and procedures, learn about different curriculum and methodology, etc.\n\nWhile you go through your teacher prep at the college/university, I would strongly recommend that you substitute teach for your local district (as soon as your credit hours make you eligible). There is a world of difference between a new teacher with substitute teaching experience, and one who only has had practicums.\n\nIt's once you walk into your first day as a full teacher that the "overwhelming" path to burn-out (lol) starts. Make sure you have a mentor teacher, who has at least 5 years teaching experience, preferably one that teaches the same level/subjects you teach, who is organized and not burnt out yet, and who is upbeat and patient, to walk you through all the expectations the district will have that nobody happened to mention to you during induction, interviews, staff meetings, etc. because the "old hands" all have those routines down...\n\nBe prepared for overloaded classes, an even greater diversity of learning abilities and behavior issues in your class as inclusion becomes an even greater focus, weekly lesson plans, daily paper grading, attendance paperwork, progress reports, fundraiser paperwork and coordination, parent outreach paperwork and phone calls, duty schedule, safety drills and related paperwork, student referral (learning or discipline issues) paperwork, Child Study meetings, grade-level meetings, school-wide staff meetings, school committee meetings, in-service training meetings, evening classes for professional development requirements, PTA, NEA or other professional organization activities, evening activities from different organizations, parent-teacher conferences, supervision of educational assistants and classroom volunteers, collaborative projects with other teaching staff, oh, and I think teaching the students comes in somewhere in there, too. \n\nIf you choose special education, also be prepared (in addition to the above) for IEP meetings, additional student progress reports, additional student assessments, additional planning time for individualized programming, additional time taken up consulting with other teachers for inclusion support and/or joint projects, additional conferences and training for profressional development, additional staff meetings and in-service trainings for special education specifically, and increased contact time for parents. \n\nDo all this for 1/2 to 1/3 the pay of any other profession with your level of training. \n\nAnd then, the kid turns to you, with a big grin on his/her face, and says..."WOW. That makes Sense!!! THANK YOU!!!" and all of it is TOTALLY worth it! My husband (also a teacher) has had the joy of running into students, now as adults, who have thanked him for his efforts.\n\nI love my job. It is a difficult path to take, however. I would suggest volunteering at your local school system to get a feel for things and see if it is something you really do want to do.
804234
The role of a special education teacher is to provide an appropriate individualized education for all his or her students.  The role of advocacy and self-determination are also key so that the student can become active members of our society.
440511
Ha! I love how how you categorized your question under "special education" :). Funny.
1089301
Yes I would switch.  If the new teacher does not work out, you can switch again.
1063178
No... being in special education does NOT mean you are stupid.\n\nAs a matter of fact, there is only ONE out of 13 categories in which a person is a very slow learner...Mental Retardation.\n\nALL the other categories are NORMAL or higher smarts, with something keeping that person from being able to learn as fast as they should given their smarts. That something could be a learning or language disability, or health issues, or emotional problems, or physical disabilities, or hearing or vision problems, or social skills difficulties, and so on.\n\nIf you are in special ed, you learn DIFFERENTLY than most people. You are NOT stupid.
413561
If you are in the United States, then you should have an IEP in place (if you are in middle or high school) under the Visual Impairment category. If the teachers are not providing you with the appropriate classroom and instructional modifications per your IEP, then you need to let your special ed caseworker know immediately. If nothing happens, have your parents start making noise about sueing. The IEP is a legally binding contract, and the teachers must abide by it.\n\nIf you are in college, in the United States, then the Americans with Disabilities Act Section 504 (ADA 504) covers your issue. Contact your college's Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD). They should be advocating for you. If your OSD does not speak up for you, get a lawyer. Given the already existing infringement of your ADA 504 rights, I'm sure you can find someone who will work on percentage rather than flat fee...the college will have to pay up!\n\nWhy are you seated so far away from instruction in the ASL class? Assigned seating? If so, the teacher MUST move you to the front, by law.\n\nIf you don't live in the U.S., contact a lawyer/advocate quickly to find out what rights you have.
958852
There is nothing wrong with homeschooling. Plenty of people do it. I am homeschooled. I think it's a good idea. Kids will pick on him at public school, and it's not fair to put a normal kid in special ed. I think it's best you homeschool.