How to Become a Special Education Teacher

Many of us probably had friends who struggled in school growing up. They may have had dyslexia, ADHD, or another physical challenge or learning disability. You’ve probably known someone incredibly smart – but who was limited in their ability to get good grades by a specific learning challenge or emotional difficulty.

Today, the American federal government requires that all schools provide specialized teachers for students with disabilities. These include “obvious” disabilities, such as people with Down syndrome, and “invisible” disabilities such as dyslexia, anxiety, and ADHD.

Special education teachers are the superheroes for these students. They learn how to adapt lesson plans, teaching methods, and more so that people with physical, learning, and emotional challenges can get a great education.

Sound like something you’d like to do? If you’d like to help every student get the best education possible, continue reading to learn more about the education, methods, and jobs available for special education teachers.

What Does a Special Education Teacher Do?

Special education teachers usually work in schools alongside other teachers. They may work in public schools, private schools, or in schools that are specialized for people with disabilities.

Special education teachers may work with other teachers to give attention to students with special needs, or they may work in special classrooms or “resource rooms” where students with disabilities can get help.

Many websites and job search agencies, like Soliant, can help you find special education teacher jobs that are available in your local area.

Special Education Teacher Job Description

Like all teachers, special education teachers teach a variety of subjects, including reading, writing, math, and other subjects. Depending on the type of special education that a teacher works in, job duties of the role may include:

• Creating lesson plans specialized to individual students, based on each student’s strengths and challenges.
• Helping students with dyslexia and other reading challenges get extra practice reading and writing.
• Helping students with dyscalculia and other math-related challenges develop strategies for handling numbers.
• Helping students with physical disabilities, such as blindness or deafness, get the same access to educational materials using different teaching tools.
• Helping students with emotional or behavioral challenges to get through the school day, learn, and make friends by helping them manage their symptoms.

Special Education Teacher Salary

Special education teacher salaries can range from $32,000-$80,000 per year, depending on experience, education, and location.

The most common salary for special education teachers is about $49,000 per year, and most special education teachers are paid between $43,000 and $68,000 per year.

Generally, teachers with more education and experience are paid more. Teachers with special qualifications that are in high demand may also get paid more. According to recent reports by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, special education teachers, on average, were paid slightly more than general teachers without special education qualifications.

Remember that cities with higher costs of living often pay higher salaries. So if you’re getting paid more, you may be moving to an area where you have to pay more for rent and other expenses as well. When deciding whether to accept a job based on the salary, it’s a good idea to also do an online cost-of-living search to find out what average expenses you can expect from living in that city.

How to Become a Special Education Teacher

Special education teachers need a unique set of skills. They don’t just need degrees and certifications: they also need people skills, communication skills, and a demonstrated ability and desire to work with people with special needs.

Read on to learn how you can acquire all of those skills – and prove to your future employer that you have them.

Skills of a Special Education Teacher

What kind of skills are required to be an amazing special education teacher? As you might guess, it’s about more than just your degree. People who are best-suited for special education jobs are those who have:

• Desire to help. First and foremost, special education teachers must want to help those with special needs. This job can be challenging, and it may not be a good fit for people who are not interested in helping people with special needs.
• Those who have natural patience, empathy, and the desire to solve problems will find this job most rewarding.
• People skills. Special education means working with students and parents who may be frustrated with the school system because of their disability.
• Special education teachers must be friendly and warm, while also having the confidence to manage conflicts and unreasonable expectations that might arise from students, parents, co-teachers, or school administrators.
• Communication skills. Special education teachers sometimes act as translators between school administrators, general teachers, students with disabilities, and their parents.
• Knowledge of disabilities and teaching techniques. To do their job, special education teachers must know about different available teaching techniques, as well as the needs of students with different challenges and disabilities.

This is where your degree comes in handy. So what kind of degree do you need to be a special education teacher, and where do you get it?

Special Education Teacher Requirements

Just like general teachers, special education teachers typically need a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree. So, where and how do you get a special education teacher degree?

The good news is that a growing number of schools offer both in-person and online bachelor’s and master’s programs in special education. When selecting a program, look for a school that has a solid reputation and has good graduate employment rates.

Special education teacher requirements include:

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in Special Education.

• Additional certification or licensure exams may be required depending on the state you want to teach in. Public schools may require more licensures and certifications than private schools, but may also pay higher salaries and have better employee benefits for teachers.

Special Education Teacher Cover Letter

In your cover letter for a special education teacher position, it’s important to make it clear to employers quickly that you have a passion for serving students with special needs. Here are a few key tips when creating your special education teacher cover letter:

1. It’s often the “soft” skills – desire, people skills, and communication skills – that are most important to this job, and most difficult to find.
2. You can demonstrate that you have these by including a brief description in your cover letter of why you have chosen this career path. Do you have a specific story from your life that made you realize the crucial importance of this job?
3. Being able to tell the employer in just a few words exactly what made you realize how important this job is, and what made you want to pursue it, will help the employer see you as a dedicated candidate.
4. It’s also a good idea to include a couple of sentences in your cover letter about what you’ve done to prove you are passionate about working in this area, such as a past job or volunteer experience.

Remember, your cover letter should only be one page, and should be easy to read! So make your points brief, using only a sentence or two each to describe the source of your passion for special education, your interest in this specific employer and job, and your experience working with people with special needs.

Special Education Teacher Resume

Like your cover letter, your resume should be brief and easy to read. The goal is that a hiring manager can tell immediately what makes you a qualified candidate for this job. You may wish to include sections like:

• Objective. If you don’t have much prior work experience in the field, start your resume with an “objective” of 1-2 sentences that describes your career-relevant mission in life and what you hope to achieve in the specific job you are applying to.
• Education. Include any professional certifications or degrees you might have, the relevant school(s) you attended, the dates you attended, and your GPA if it was over 3.5. If not, your GPA is not required.
• Work experience. If you don’t have much work experience, remember to include any part-time or summer jobs you might have held to show your track record as a reliable worker.
• If you have held many jobs, include only the 2-4 that are most recent or most relevant to the job you are applying for. Seeing many jobs in other fields on your resume may cause employers to question your dedication to this field!
• Volunteer work. If you have never worked with people with special needs professionally, you will need volunteer work on your resume to prove that you have done this before. Consider volunteering with any local schools, charities, or other organizations that work with children, disabled people, and children with special needs in your area.
• Hobbies. If you can fit this all on one page, some employers like to see a little bit about your hobbies.

Find an in-depth guide to resumes for special education teachers here, including a template you can follow!

Special Education Teacher Interview Questions

Being a special education teacher requires a special sort of person. Special education teachers must be driven, energetic, and passionate – but also able to work with other people who have diverse expectations and skill levels.

Interviewers are likely to ask about your education, work, and volunteer experience. They may also ask how you have coped with certain types of situations in the past. Practice answering questions like:

1. Tell us about a time you have failed. Here, employers will look to see if you take responsibility for your mistakes and if you have learned from them.
2. What did you enjoy most about that job or volunteer experience?
3. What was the biggest challenge you faced in that job or volunteer experience?
4. What are you looking for in a professional team or work environment?
5. Can you tell us a little bit about your strategies for working with coworkers and colleagues?
6. What theories, systems, or approaches do you use when constructing lesson plans for children?
7. What experience do you have working with students with behavior problems?
8. What experience do you have working with frustrated parents?
9. What questions do you have for us? It’s always good to be prepared to ask employers what they expect of you, and what their favorite and least favorite parts of working for the organization are.

Be aware that some types of questions, such as questions about your family, whether you are married or have children, and whether you have any health conditions, are discriminatory and illegal for employers to ask.

Some may ask these questions to determine if you will have “distractions” from your work, such as family or health problems, but you are not required to answer them, and this may indicate an employer that does not have a healthy work-life culture.

Summary

In summary, special education teachers are superheroes to people with learning differences. Whether it’s a physical disability that makes it hard to access general classroom materials or an emotional challenge to learning, special education teachers are there to ensure each student gets the resources and attention they need.

Special education teachers are paid, on average, slightly more than general teachers. This is because they have special training and very special character traits. Special education teachers must be prepared to fight for what is right and achieve a high level of excellence in their performance.

Ready to become a special education teacher? Explore opportunities in special education with Soliant, or find more resources about the career here.