Any Elementary Spec Ed Teachers ?

[Missamoncus]

Hi everyone,

I am in the process of changing careers and going back to work.
I both need and want to work. My daughter is three and has one year left before she will start school. My question is this: I am considering elementary special education. I live close to a major university that has a program for people who have already attained a degree in any area ( I have ) . It is a streamlined process that will get me through with my spec. ed. teaching certificate in another 18-42 hours, depending on what happens when they sit down with my transcript and work up a degree plan based on courses I have had vs. deficiencies.

For any elementary special ed teachers out there:
Do you enjoy your job?
What is the best thing about your job?
What is the worst?
If you had it to do over again, would you?
Is your job mostly paperwork or hands-on?

This is all I can think of right now. The job seems a good fit for me and my family in so many ways. I have a meeting Friday to discuss the program , so I will know more by then.

Thanks,
Melissa

 

[horseshowmom]

I can't answer your questions exactly, but I'm a former teacher (everything from elementary to high school algebra) and am now an administrator in the central office.

The one thing that I can say is that there are usually more openings for SpEd teachers than anything else, so you may be able to find a job more easily (at least that's the way it is in MS).

 

[Cindy B]

This is what I am going to school for. I ideally want to do ICS for elementary ed students.

The teaching schools around here require an almost double major now for graduation to adhere to NCLB highly qualified standards. I am considering elementary ed/special ed with a concentration in Language Arts/Reading. Since these state standardized tests have a large essay part, I can assist in the literature (my passion!) and language arts end, or teach a resource room out of class support class in language arts/reading. I may in time get a reading specialist certificate, but that is more school.

Regular elementary ed teachers are having a hard time finding jobs around here, since many hold that degree. Having the special ed certification gives you an edge.

I too need to meet with a program advisor about this. I know at least in my district we have a large amount of special ed student that are in inclusion classes. If you have more than 8 or 9 classisfied students (this is what was the mandate was but it may have changed) you need a special ed teacher in there to assist.

 

[Missamoncus]

Thanks for sharing , you guys.

I will check back tonight for more responses and will definately update after the Friday meeting. In Texas , it seems that almost every school has special ed and/or esl openings.

Melissa

 

[vettechick99]

Bump for you! I just applied for an Elementary Special Ed. position here and would love to read more responses.

 

[kytiam]

Hi! I have been teaching elementary special ed for 8 years now. I also taught in a "regular" second grade classroom for 5 years. AND I have a child of my own with learning disabilities, language delays, and ADD. So I have seen it from just about every perspective. I do love my job. I work with second grade LD/ED kids, most of whom are working only about a year below grade level. I'm not sure I, personally would be cut out to work with the more severely disabled kids. What I love about my job? Working with small groups (although they do get way too large at times), working with a group only 30-60 minutes at a time (you can handle just about any kid for that length of time , being able to work with each student at their level so they can be successful, when the kids feel successful, they work harder, learn more, behave better, and love coming to your class!
What I don't love about my job? Paperwork. Not just the amount of paperwork, but the nit-picking attention to every little detail. It's so hard to get every little thing just exactly right--especially since they change the rules just about every year. In my district, we are fortunate to have a great support system in our administration and fellow teachers. This year we added "process coordinators" to our staff. Yes, they do help with some of the paperwork, but they're also kind of like the "paperwork police", quick to point out any mistake you make. I guess lawsuits inthis field are way out of control, so she is just keeping us out of court. Probably a good thing.
Would I do it again? The first two or three years I had this job, I cried almost everyday in frustration. I had been home with my own kids for 7 years and completely out of the spec. ed. 'loop' so it probably wouldn't be like that for everybody. Now I can't imagine teaching in a regular classroom. If you have a good sense of humor, patience to repeat yourself over and over, and can celebrate the littlest successes, then you could love it, too.

 

[Missamoncus]

Thanks vettechick and kytiem ! I went to a meeting today about what our local university calls CASE ( carrer alternatives in special education ) I could end up with my Masters of Education and special ed certified k-12 in 48-54 class hours. It is a special program for people who already have a degree.
Sounds good. I have to get going on everything and start summer session 1.
If I take both summer sessions and a full load next fall/spring then I can start teaching in fall 2007 . The first year you are supervised at a regular job instead of a semester of student teaching.

Melissa

 

[lil mermaid]

Bumping this - because I am thinking about doing the exact same thing, in Texas!

 

[Jilliebean]

Melissa,

I'm currently going through exactly this type of program in Georgia. It was for people who already had at least a bachelors degree and wanted to get certified in special education. There are about 35 of us in our cohort and everyone is also concurrently working in special education as either a provisionally certified teacher, parapro or unpaid intern.

I've chosen to work this year as a parapro (and concurrently student teach) in a middle school setting. I spend half my day with sixth graders and half with seventh graders. Both classes are self-contained (meaning we have them all day) SLD (specific learning disabled) classes. However all of our students are not classified as SLD; they have many different disabilities.

I'm very happy that I've made this choice. Most days I absolutely love it. I really see that I'm making a difference in my students' lives. 99% of the kids are great. You do have to have patience because as a rule many of these kids will need to have things repeated and retaught often.

At the end of spring semester (May!), I will be eligible for a "clear and renewable" certificate to teach special education. In Georgia, you're also required to pass the Praxis II exam in special education core knowledge (or something like that) and middle school core content. I've already passed the special ed core content and thought it was pretty easy. I'm hoping the middle school core content will be as well.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[jd_mouse]

Hi all,

I am a Learning Support Aide at a High School and work with children with severe learning disabilities.

I have a Bachelors in Marketing with a minor in economics, so I did not go to school for this type of position. I've been a SAHM since my first child was born - he's 14 now! - and decided I had volunteered myself ENOUGH at their school, and was looking for something different. I considered doing volunteer work with disabled children (looking to "give something back" ...sounds trite, I know, but true), when I read an article about disabled children in schools, and the trial and tribulations of having them mainstreamed.

Soooooooooo...I applied for a position at the elementary level with a local school district, and was instead offerred a position at the high school level for both Learning Support for kids with disabilities such as dyslexia AND some one-on-one time with kids in a Lifeskills program (severe disabilities).

I found that I loved working with the severe learning disabled children, and this year began solely doing that. It is HIGHLY rewarding...these children I work with are very sweet (generally!) and try very hard to overcome so many obstacles. But it can be very, very draining. You become attached to them as you get to know them, and I find myself worrying..."what will become of them, will they find a place in the world?" We had a representative from ARC in the other day who told us that 90% of people with developmental disabilities will experience sexual abuse at some point in their lives. 90%. I felt sick...truly sick when I heard that.

Some days are great...others not so...(you have to go over the same prompts, the same information, the same cues...over and over and over - it can be rough!) - but the good days outweigh the bad, so I try to put it all in perspective and hope that my involvement with these children will help make their life better...safer.

And in so far as the hours go...at least for me...I leave for work after my kids are off to school, and get home before they do (the advantages of being at the high school...hours are earlier)...I have the same school vacations as my kids, and summers off...it works for my family, as well.

Anyway, I know the responsibilities, pressures, and paperwork for teachers are different and vary, but thats my input as far as assisting/aiding.

 

[Pinnie]

Kudos to you for thinking about this very rewarding profession!

I am enjoying my 30th year of teaching. (Check out my tag!) I have a degree in elementary education as well as a degree in sp ed for cognitvely impaired. I taught severely mentally and physically impaired (SXI) for 9 years before getting a MS in ECE and moving into sp ed pre K position where I have been since the 80s.

I currently teach in a state funded program called Young 5s. I have a number of students that are speech and language impaired that transition from their ECCI program into mine and then, hopefully, into a regular kindergarten program next year. For the last 2 years, I have also been transitioning children on the autism/Asperger's spectrum a couple of days a week in my classroom.

It is well known in our area that sp ed teachers are needed and there seem to be postings for these postions on our district's websites frequently.

There is a LOT of paperwork involved in sp ed. In addition to EPPCs, there are METs, IEPs, 504 plans, etc. If you plan on this as your career path, be prepared. BUT, the up side is that it is one of the most rewarding and satisfying jobs out there!

I wish you all the best!!

pinnie

 

[Missamoncus]

Thanks guys,

I was thrilled to find more responses this a.m. I really think this is the way to go. I am getting my applications ready and waiting on letters of reccomendation. Lil Mermaid- I grew up in Kingwood and the adoption agency that helped us adopt Meigan from China is in the Woodlands!

One thing that is happening is that a dear friend of mine is begging me not to do the spec. ed. cert and wait until February. He says he is considering retiring from his position on the theatre dept. faculty where I was adjunct faculty for two years and that he really wants me to take over his position. The problem is that I don't have a terminal degree and even if they agreed to hire me my job would always be insecure. I can't just uproot my Husband and three year old to go to an MFA program somewhere for two years. I guess I am really feeling the fact that I will be 40 in a month or so and have been in theatre since I was 14 and though I have made a living at it, there are other considerations now. I can't be gone every night rehearsing a show, I can't bust my tail for a small course fee every semester with no income in the summer if there are no classes to teach. Enough of being distracted by something shiney, on to adult land...( it's about time )


Melissa