What I Have Learned Through Working In Special Education

Have y'all ever considered becoming a special education teacher?

Or possibly you're already a teacher, but you teach in a general didactics classroom and wonder what a special education instructor does during the day?

This post volition give yous an inside await at a day in the life of a special pedagogy teacher!

I couldn't write this post on my own, though! Even though I've worked with numerous students with special needs, I'1000 a reading specialist and non a certified special instruction teacher.

So Amy McDonald, a special education teacher from Newfoundland, has generously volunteered to share her experiences with us!!

She's written a invitee post to tell us all about what a "typical" day is like for her. Amy also shared how she uses my resources (Learning At The Principal Pond weblog posts, webinars, and materials) in her role.

Thanks so much for writing this, Amy! Allow's dive in!

Ever wondered what it's like to be a special education teacher? This blog post will give you an inside look at a day in the life of a special education teacher! — *Photograph Credits: wavebreakmedia, Shutterstock*

The Special Instruction Teacher: A Key Member for Successful Literacy Instruction

Well-nigh Me:

Hello all, my proper name is Amy McDonald. I am a third yr special education teacher in St. John'due south, Newfoundland in Canada. I have a Available's caste in Education (focusing on Master/Elementary and literacy teaching) and a Bachelor'southward caste in Special Education. While withal early in my career, I accept had opportunities to work with students ages 4-15 in the capacity of a full general and special didactics teacher. This past year, I worked in the special educational activity section of two local elementary schools. Both schools follow an inclusion based model. This ways that students spend well-nigh of the twenty-four hour period in the general classroom, where I come up in to support their learning. Occasionally, I pull them out to work in my resource room. Betwixt both schools, in that location were 31 students on my caseload, the bulk having social-emotional and/or literacy learning needs. As well, several of my students were on the Autism Spectrum, and many were English Linguistic communication Learners.

The Office of a Special Education Instructor

Many classroom teachers come across Special Teaching colleagues going in and out of classrooms, collecting groups of students, walking the halls with students who have astringent social-emotional or behavioral concerns, and inside resource rooms teaching "their" students. But there is so much more than to what we practise! Like classroom teachers, we have a schedule to follow. However, nosotros accept to be extremely flexible to meet the bookish, physical, and emotional needs of the students we support. A large office of our job is teaching in a collaborative way in lodge for all students to be successful. That means a lot of communicating, planning, and post-obit up with classroom teachers, reading specialists, speech-linguistic communication pathologists, guidance counselors, English second language teachers, student and instructor assistants, administrators, other special education teachers, parents and guardians, and possibly exterior agents. Primarily, I teach within the classroom, bringing my lessons and materials with me. However, there are times I pull individuals or pocket-sized groups out to my resource room for concentrated instruction or cess. Whatever interventions are used with the student, past both the classroom teacher and myself, it is my chore to document it in the appropriate paperwork. Information technology is also a part of my job to ensure these interventions follow the individualized instruction plan in place, and to ensure the student is receiving appropriate accommodations for educational activity and assessment within the general education classroom.

The key for student success is constant communication and collaboration between myself and classroom teachers. Twice a month, or as needed, I run into with my special pedagogy team. We discuss interventions used with specific students, whatsoever strengths or areas of business, and gather farther suggestions of activities or research which may be used. A "typical" twenty-four hours for a special educator is very busy and extremely flexible.

An Instance of a "Typical" Day

What I am near to present to you is only 1 example of a twenty-four hours in my role every bit a special education instructor. Other special educators may take quite a unlike solar day, especially if they work primarily in a resource room or with students with pervasive needs. It is important to note that while I worked at two school sites, I would spend the entire twenty-four hour period at i site nearly days.

7:45-8:10 am: I sit downward at my desk to look over the program for today. I do final preparation of the piece of work needed for the day, and bank check emails from administration, other teachers, and parents. If I take time, I begin planning for the upcoming days.

8:10-8:thirty am: The kickoff bell rings and doors open. I practise non accept morning duty today, and then I take fourth dimension to cheque to come across if the students I piece of work with are present, check in with teachers, assist with any arising beliefs concerns, and potable my coffee.

8:30-9:00 am: I cheque in with the students who take social emotional learning needs who are on my caseload. These students need assistance with their morning routines to settle in, need to be provided with a sensory break in the resources room (when needed), and may need targeted interventions to deal with emotions or social behaviors.

9:00-9:xxx am: I am profitable during the literacy block centers in the grade one classroom. I especially love collaborating with this teacher! We are able to have open up conversations, support 1 another hands, and share our resource. Her literacy block centers are amazing! Nosotros both follow Learning at the Master Pond, and she runs her literacy block with much influence from Alison. Students rotate betwixt 4-5 centers in mixed-ability groups, with a option of activities to consummate at each center. She runs a guided reading table in the back, which is not a middle students rotate to. Rather, she pulls students from their groups, when needed. Similarly, I work with students requiring extra support at a table at the front of the room. We plan together to ensure we are not planning to work with private students for intensive pedagogy at the same time. That style, all students are seen, and students with great difficulties can work with both of us and independently during this hour. Sometimes I bring students to the resource room to consummate more than involved lessons from literacy-based programs purchased by our district. For the first 30 minutes I work i-on-one with a student who was considered a pre-reader when I began with him. We focus on phonological awareness tasks and letter-sound association. Later completing my lesson, I fill out a daily intervention record. The classroom teacher is between guided reading groups, and she pops over to tell me some wonderful news almost this student. She has observed great improvement in his reading abilities! At the beginning of the year, he was a non-reader. He knew most letter names, few phonemes, and a couple of sight words. But yesterday, he was able to decode and comprehend a "D" level text, reading with great fluency. We know he is not yet at grade level, but we are happy all the same. We take a moment to watch him settle into his word piece of work activity, clink our coffee mugs in a celebratory cheers, and head back to work smiling.

nine:thirty-10:00 am: Next, I accept a group of 4 grade one students working on developing their decoding strategies. Today our focus is on chunking unknown words into familiar pieces. Reflecting on what I have learned from Learning at the Primary Pond webinars, I follow an I do, We do, Yous do model to introduce the concept. Two of the students grab on to this strategy quickly. We will further explore this strategy in upcoming sessions.

10:15-11:fifteen: Later on a recess break, I caput to the grade ii classroom to provide back up during their literacy cake. I accept some activities planned for the students I piece of work with; however, the teacher needs me to alter the routine today. She asks me to work on an independent procedure writing piece cess with one of our students. This is a male child on the Autism spectrum, who has attention issues and severe behavioral concerns at times. He has been extremely frustrated working on this piece in the classroom. Myself and a student assistant bring him to my resource room for a quiet space where he can take needed sensory breaks. I encourage him to take his brainstorming ideas and develop information technology into a proficient first typhoon. While I cannot assist him with spelling, grammar, etc., I am able to guide him through the writing process while keeping him calm and focused. At the end of the flow, I talk with the classroom teacher, and we plan to proceed working on this in the resources room over the adjacent week.

eleven:xv-11:thirty: This is my prep period. During this period I am busy planning and prepping, but I must keep my cell phone close in case I am needed to assist with whatever issues or provide a pupil with a supervised break.

12:xxx-1:30: After a lovely lunch break, I go to the briefing room for a team meeting with the special didactics teachers and administration. The meeting is a cracking adventure for united states of america to bank check in, hash out students' progress, and plan for the upcoming weeks.

i:30-ii:xxx: I check back in with the students in grade i who have social-emotional learning needs. I provide in-class support as many are struggling with a mini-scientific discipline research project. Students are gathering information about an assigned animal from books, videos, and online articles and creating a affiche about their animal. Many of the students I work with are overwhelmed with gathering relevant information and organizing it in a meaningful way.

Later two:30 dismissal: I check in with the classroom teachers about our plans for tomorrow. Then I finish my planning, photocopying, replying to emails I received later luncheon, and look for some new activities online.

Conclusion

Much of the blogs, webinars, and overall information Learning at the Primary Pond provides is geared toward general education teachers. Still, I find it very useful in my role. Information technology is important to be up to date on literacy best practices to collaborate finer. If I haven't stressed it enough already, remember that open, honest, and frequent communication between classroom and special instruction teachers is essential for pupil success!

Thanks then very much for this postal service, Amy! If you accept any questions for her, please feel free to leave them below.

Happy teaching!