Special Education Teacher Careers

Special Education Teacher Career Overview

Special education teachers work with children and young adults with a variety of physical and mental impairments. Most special education teachers instruct students with mild to moderate disabilities ranging from early childhood to post secondary levels. Special education teachers create appropriate curricula, design individualized education programs for each of their pupils, and promote learning through several research-based techniques. To accomplish these tasks, a special education teacher must be patient, dedicated, creative, and have a genuine passion for the profession and students.

Becoming a special education teacher requires a license, and this can only be obtained through a state's department of education. Each state has different requirements for licensure, ranging from alternative licensing paths that entail little formal education to mandating a special education teacher have a master's degree in the field. However, holding a master's degree is often rewarded with higher earnings, which average in the mid $40,000s.

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Special Education Teacher Training & Education

All 50 states require special education teachers to obtain a license through the state they reside in. Most states require at minimum a bachelor's degree in an approved teacher preparation program. However, many states require additional steps to licensure, such as; a certain number of hours of supervised teaching, professional assessments and exams, or extra coursework in the area of interest. Some states require a master's degree in special education, while other states offer alternative paths to licensure, where standard educational requirements can be circumnavigated if replaced with experience or expertise in a related field and combined with a one to two year probationary period. As each state has different requirements, it is best to check with an individual state's department of education for licensure details.

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Special Education Teacher Career & Salary

Special education teachers typically work at all levels of the education system, from early childhood to post-secondary. Special education teachers who primarily work in post-secondary institutions have the highest pay, with median annual earnings of $48,330. Special education teachers who primarily work in middle and high schools have median annual earnings of $47,650, and special education teachers working primarily in elementary schools and early childhood education settings have median annual earnings of $46,360.

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Where a Special Education Degree Will Take You

All states require special education teachers to be licensed, and most states require a minimum of a bachelor's degree to become licensed. An increasing number of states even require special education teachers to hold a master's degree. However, nearly all states and institution types and levels offer incentives and rewards for earning a special education teaching degree at the graduate level, just some of which include; higher pay, qualification for a greater number of job openings and positions, and advancement opportunities to administrative and supervisory roles.

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Characteristics of Special Education Teachers

Working as a successful special education teacher requires a truly dedicated and passionate person. A special education teacher must be very patient, and have a keen understanding of their pupil's special needs. A special education teacher must also be able to motivate students to guide them through difficult and frustrating subjects, and be able to use innovative, creative, and modified learning techniques tailored to the individual at a moment's notice.

It is also important, and not commonly foreseen by those considering entering the profession, that a special education teacher be willing and committed to filing a substantial amount of regular paperwork on a student's progress for administrative review. This paperwork is required as it functions to help assure that teachers, supervisors, principles and parents are all working together to holistically provide a special needs student the best education possible.

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