Enhance the Image of the Special Education Teacher

Qualified special education teachers around the United States are becoming a rarity. One of the leading causes for the loss of qualified special education personnel could be due, in part, to current personnel attitudes aimed at those working in the profession. This article includes a framework of characteristics that will enable special education teachers to draw others into the field, enhancing the field of special education. These positive special education teacher attitudes will strengthen and foster leaders in the field of special education. Administrators nationwide are sorely aware of the shortage of qualified special education teachers (Brownell, Hirsch, & Seo, 2004). As more and more special education teachers reach the age of retirement or transfer from the education industry into other professions, fewer individuals are exiting postsecondary institutions with degrees in the field of special education. This trend is a problem not only for education administrators and parents, but also for the teachers who are left in the special education industry. They wonder who will care to educate these children in their absence and how to entice others to yearn for the field of special education. As a special education teacher and professor, I have begun to recognize that part of the reason that finding special education teachers has become so difficult is the mindset of current special education teachers in the field. Anyone who works in the field of special education knows that the job is difficult. There is an endless stream of paperwork. The teacher works for long hours, which often result in minimal outcomes. Special education teachers are a tired bunch. These educators specialize in their own field of special education, but with the enactment of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the reauthorization of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 2004, special education teachers also receive training in a plethora of education fields (Luft, 2008). Think about what you wanted to accomplish as you entered the field of special education. Think about where you are now as a special education teacher. Reflect on how you would like to appear to the general populace. Think about how you appear to others who at this very moment might be considering entering the field of special education. If all special educators were the best special educators they could be, what a wonderful field this would be! If you are the only source of special education an individual may ever encounter, what kind of image will be left? What kind of special education teacher can you be? Here are ten things that people who work in the field of special education can do today to enhance the reputation of the field and entice others to want to join it. With these ten attitudes, special education teachers will be better equipped to face any adversity that comes their way. 1. Always strive to do your best. Walk the walk and talk the talk without being overly arrogant. Be knowledgeable about your field of expertise (Hadadian & Chiang, 2007). Arrive where you are supposed to be on time: Individual Education Plans (IEP) meetings, faculty meetings, in-service programs. Introduce yourself to your colleagues and to parents with a firm handshake, wear professional attire, and exemplify a manner that demonstrates that you respect yourself and others. Find a mentor teacher or buddy teacher who has characteristics that are deserving of emulation. 2. Be there each day for the sake of teaching. Some people enter the field of education because they think it will be an easy profession and a way to make money while playing with a group of children. This is not so. People should enter the profession of special education to facilitate learning for the students to allow them to learn and become productive individuals (Wong & Wong, 2004). Special education is a field deserving of teachers who are well trained and compassionate for the populace they serve. …