Career Aspirations of Undergraduate Students in University of Ibadan: an Implication on Their Emotional Health

One of the reason people chose a career in special education is job satisfaction. Special education teacher perceived their job to be rewarding. They get personal fulfillment and gratification in teaching special need students. “It truly must be passion to continue working in special education because we all know it is a tough job.”(Participate 2010,”Motivational factor towards pursuing a career in special education”)They have the opportunity to make a positive difference in the students’ lives. When the student who is struggling in school graduate it brings great satisfaction to the educator. The most important part of this field is to help a child develop to their highest potential.

Special education teachers no longer may identify themselves as teachers of just a specific category of students. Rather, they must identify themselves as teachers of all students and be willing to provide whatever support is needed to meet the varied needs of students. Likewise, students should not be identified as self-contained or resource, but as students needing specialized instruction and supports for specific skills/subject areas for specific amounts of time in either a special education setting or a general education setting.

Teaching students with exceptional abilities requires funding, training and planning. Being in a regular classroom with children from various cultures, ethnic backgrounds and intellectual ability help students learn how to work together toward a common goal: reduce discrimination and stereotyping people with physical and mental limitations. Instructional strategies that break the work down so everyone learns better can improve education as well as reduce cost. This is achieved by including special education students in environments that will allow them to develop normal social interactions as well as receive specific attention to their learning needs. ("What is Special Education”)

Preparing regular education teachers to address the diverse needs of children with special needs in inclusive set up.

Interviewing the special education supervisor has made me aware of how important my role is as a regular education teacher to special students who need additional support in my classroom. The goal of the teacher is to ensure that the IEP is followed to ensure the academic success of all students. IEP stands for Individual Education Plan and the plan is usually developed when students have several deficiencies in certain key subject areas such as: reading comprehension, basic reading, reading fluency, written expressions, math calculation, and math reasoning. Students are referred to the special education department usually in elementary school, additionally; according to the high school special education supervisor there are very few referrals

In this paper I will discuss what exactly is a Special Educator, what education is needed to become one, salary, job outlook, and work environment. I have also interviewed a Special Educator and I will discuss how she feels about being

“One of the essential roles of special education teachers is coteaching and working with other professionals, as well as communicating with family members and between special education teachers and other school-related professionals(Vaughn & Bos, 2015, p. 114)”. With the importance of a least restrictive environment special education and general education teachers are working together in a classroom with varying levels and abilities of learners. It is vitally important to have an effective relationship between the two teachers while developing and implementing lesson plans for learners with special needs. The physical space and dynamics of the classroom should fit the needs of the students and the established procedures should ensure a highly functional environment. Importantly, educators need to communicate to families “encouragement about what they can do at home and about an effective plan for providing instructional supports for their child(Vaughn & Bos, 2015, p. 114)”.

SPE 513 WEEK 3 DQ 1 ROLE OF GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS AND SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS

The necessity of education for students throughout the United States and the world continues to grow, making it necessary for teachers in all areas. Though most special education teachers work in public school settings, the need for teachers in residential areas or as tutors in homes or hospital settings still remains ("Teachers-Special Education"). Within the school setting, special educators can take on different roles. Their role may include supporting the general education teacher in the regular education classroom or they may offer resources in a special education setting. The term “inclusion” is often used for special education services offered by supports and accommodations in a regular education classroom with grade level curriculum. “Pull out” services are often in a special education classroom in smaller group settings with academics adjusted to meet their needs. The duties of a special education teacher often combine these responsibilities by determining what will best meet the needs of students.

The special education teacher interviewed, talked about this goal to meet each child’s need is challenging to her especially in eleventh and twelfth grade. The teacher tries to strive towards their educational goals, their need areas, and work on their strengths.

General education should promote collaboration to increase an effective quality education for student in an inclusive classroom (Argan, 2014). This can be done a multitude of ways. Paraeducators can be included in planning activities in the classroom (Argan, 2014). By incorporating paraeducators, general education teachers and special education teachers can get a different perspective on how an activity may look or what

Being a special education teacher is not just about helping the students and teaching. Special education teachers have more responsibilities than a general teacher. Not just anyone has what it takes to be a special education teacher. This article, “It’s not easy teaching special ed.,” by Lee Hale tells his story why he only lasted a year in a special education classroom.

Teaching with special education is about the same as teaching general education you just have to be a little more flexible with how you teach. Both professions work with students and teach in order to help the students progress. They both assess students to evaluate their abilities. They also meet with the parents to discuss student progress. Both work with special educators to ensure that students with disabilities receive the specially designed instruction to which they are entitled.

General education and special education teacher are require to work together as a team to ensure the students in the inclusive classroom setting is learning with the accurate accommodation and tools to fit their needs. The general education and special education teacher work together to create a lesson plan to which it targets all areas of learning for all students in the inclusive classroom setting. Both teachers should sit together to discuss their concerns for their students and contact the parents together to allow the parents to understand it is a team working as a unit.

Students with disabilities are covered under the Federal Law of free and appropriate education, also knowns as FAPE. This law ensures that students with disabilities are serviced in the best environment that will not negatively impact their educational access due to their disability. Some students with disabilities needs are best met in an inclusive setting. This would include a special education teacher and a general education teacher. In some co-teaching classrooms, there is the misunderstanding of what co-teaching or inclusion should look like, or for some, how to evaluate its effectiveness. Dr, Maureen Pugach (March 2011) states in her article that special educators often take a back seat in the general education classroom, as opposed to truly co-teaching. Teachers who co-teach should be co-planning and co-assessing. However, there seems to be an abstention of these practices in the inclusion setting. There is a true benefit to students academically, socially and emotionally when there are two teachers fully invested in the inclusive classroom model.