Motivational Factors Toward Pursuing a Career in Special Education.

My career goal is to obtain a master’s degree in elementary education by the end of Fall 2016 in order to start teaching by the beginning of Spring 2017. Upon completion of the dual certification track, I will receive elementary (K-6), special education (ESE K-6), and ESOL endorsements. Before entering graduate school, I always believed these certifications would prepare me for teaching more than if I had started teaching immediately after graduation. Today, I still hold this belief to be true, for I have opportunities now to closely practice, implement, and refine teaching skills, strategies, and qualities that I learned as an undergraduate in a real school setting. I am also able to work closely alongside teachers who have experience working with students with identified disabilities and experience the different behavioral responses that students with identified disabilities may exhibit. As a first year intern this semester, I even sat in on an EPT (Evaluation and Planning Team) meeting regarding whether or not a student in my first grade classroom should receive a 504 Plan that I did not get to

Time is passing and opportunities are opening for more students with special needs. Many students in college are getting more interested in Special Education as career that will allow more organization to have more workers with a big potential that will have an important impact on these kids with disabilities. However, this will require more training for the students that organizations around the country can give them. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,“the career outlook for special education teachers should remain steady through 2024, with an increase of 6%, the national average for job growth in the United States. The median salary for this position is just over $55,000 annually,” (“Master in Special Education”) The approach the

There exist many negative social and economic outcomes associated with non-completion of high school for special education students, which result in serious implications with respect to future opportunities, job and career options, increased level of social dependence, and financial volatility (Scholl & Mooney, 2004). “According to the National Council on Disability (2008), SWD leaving high school met only the minimum qualifications for college entry.” The implication is that SWD face a difficult future in terms of learning the skills necessary to compete in the 21-century global economy. According to Thurlow and Johnson (2011) of the California Dropout Research Project, there are predictors that herald special education students dropping out: low and failing grades in special education classes, high absenteeism from school, a history of behavioral issues, a lack of parental involvement and engagement, as well as a marked increase in movement or transferring from school within districts or between states. Keeping SWD engaged and learning is an important component to their academic success and teacher involvement is a necessary element in the pursuit for student success. There exist well documented benefits of career and technical education for

The United States Department of Labor states that “employment of special education teachers is projected to grow 6 percent from 2012 to 2022, slower than the average for all occupations. However, overall demand will be driven by increasing enrollment and continued need for special education services.” With the advance screening and the identification of different disabilities of children are expected to increase the demand for this career. But overall increase will depend on the government’s funding.

People are thought as child to dream big and reach for their goals. Throughout grade school to high school there are often asked what inspires them. Some people dream to become police officers, dancers, lawyers, and doctors. There are some people who chooses to become an educator. As they journey through college, to pursue the knowledge needed for their career, their passion leads them to special education. These teachers fine this career to be job satisfying, have empathy for the children, and the vacancy of the position viability. Not all teacher feel the same however, over time their dissatisfied with their job and leave because their brunt out.

For this assignment, I chose to interview Ms. Lisa Parker, who is a Math co-teacher and resource teacher for grades K-5 at Krahn Elementary which is a part of the Klein Independent School District and is one of the teachers I have been observing for my field experience. Ms. Parker has been a teacher at Krahn Elementary since 17 years. She started as a 1st grade teacher and was moved to 3rd grade after three years. The administration saw that she was really good with management and math, so she was given the below average, special education students and kids with adaptive behavior after seven years of teaching. With this, she adopted a style for teaching kids with special needs and decided to get a certification in Special Education. Ms. Parker has been teaching specifically in Special Education (SPED) since five years now and the special populations served by her in Krahn elementary include Gifted and Talented students (GT), students with Autism, students with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), students with Learning disabilities (LD), students with Other Health Impairments (OHI) and Emotionally Disturbed children (EBD)

Teachers are often attributed to the problem because they typically make the initial special education referrals. Teacher perceptions are often biased and have been indicated as a contributing factor to special education disproportionality. A teacher lacks of adequate training, cultural insensitivity, and biased way of thinking may affect the referral process. Teacher differences from their students in their racial and ethnic identities, cultural, socioeconomic level, education level, and personal views can also have an impact. Although the number of students in education are increasingly a member of ethnic groups of color, poor, urban residents, and multilingual, the teaching profession is overwhelmingly European-American, female, middle class, sub- urban, and monolingual (Gay, 2002).

In the profession of a special education teacher, a person commits to helping children achieve their best and to help “students overcome their obstacles” while finding a way that the child can effectively learn (Hollingsworth). My mom’s career as special education teacher for twenty-two years, allows me insight and experience into the tougher aspects of this career, but also the rewards to the job. My mom helps me understand that a special education teacher guides a child to expand their strengths, develop strategies to overcome weakness, and to make best use of all available resources. Through helping her, and learning from her experiences, she taught me that a career in special education can not only challenge me, but may also become a

Today, over six million students receive Special Education services from public and private schools. The reason why there is a shortage of Special Education teachers is that they leave their position because they cannot handle the additional pressures they have to face.

One of the leading causes of disproportionate identification in special education is the school and teachers themselves. Minority students are more likely to attend urban, inner city schools where many of the teachers are not as experienced when dealing with racially and ethnically diverse classrooms (Donovan & Cross, 2002). Thus, these low-income schools are not going to offer advanced classes or top-notch special education programs or services for students. Referral processes, assessment protocols, and programs for students with special needs are likely to be more advanced in suburban schools. In addition, proper funding is always an issue in education; therefore, many schools cannot afford to hire special education teachers or teacher aides to provide additional help and assistance for minority students. Consequently, these minority students are thrown into special education classes and left on their own, to develop better language skills and higher academic achievement.

In the article written by Saint Joseph’s University, it says that “a highly qualified special education teacher with an advanced degree, is best suited to help children face and overcome challenges, while striving to be their personal best” (“Saint Joseph’s University”). This quotation shows that if a person obtains the proper education and behaves the correct way, that person will most likely to be more affecting towards the kids while teaching. Special needs teachers need to obtain the proper education, understand how to behave, and know about the kids so they can be a successful teacher for their students.

After reading the article by Owen Phillips, I find that there are several things I can do as a special education director to support teacher retention. First, special education teachers under my leadership would have a voice. For instance, when the school board or higher officials decide that a new program or method of instruction is needed, our team will collaborate to create a course of action and timeline for these changes to be made. They would also have a voice in decision-making and discipline. Secondly, I would be available to my special education teachers as much as possible. I want them to feel supported and heard during their time under my leadership. I would send out anonymous surveys quarterly to my staff to find out how they

Special education teachers work with children with disabilities and make a difference in their lives. Special education has changed over the years. Special education teachers’ retention has been raised since there remains a persistent shortage of special education teachers. Along with the concerns about the numerical shortage of sped teachers are the concerns about sped teacher quality, as administrators are more likely to hire less qualified applicants as the shortages worsen. That is why the researcher made a study about psychosocial predictors that influence the sped teachers’ decisions of intent to stay in their job.

In Academic journal articles from the 1980s to today, every study involving Special Education teacher attrition states a variation of “the situation is severe and will only get worse.” The available literature also states that “more research is needed” to understand the reasons so many special educators leave the profession.

The key to any successful school district is the administration. Teachers essentially provide structure, organization, and the background of a child’s future. To educate students with learning disabilities, it is essential that the staff has the training and resources needed for the appropriate people, place, and time (Lazarus) (What is Inclusion, 2001, n.p). It is unrealistic to expect that regular education teachers will always be aware of the latest research or be able to readily adapt the school's