Special Education Teacher Jobs - What You Need to Know When Interviewing!

The job of teaching has changed over the years. Teachers have more to do than just teach today. The training for teachers is ongoing throughout their career. This is especially true for special education teachers. Special Ed teachers are teachers, advocates, knowledgeable about various disabilities, experts at creating special education lessons and at writing IEPs (Individual Education Programs). Special education teacher jobs are in high demand because one other thing a special ed teacher needs is dedication to doing everything they can to aid their students in reaching their full potential. If you are looking into a special education career there are some things you need to know in order to make the cut in this field.

You will be asked a number of questions during an interview for a special education teaching position. This means you need to be as familiar as possible with the questions and answers you will be presented with so you can be confident in your answers.

Here are some things you will need to be prepared for in a special ed teaching job interview.

Complete understanding of IEP and CSE: You will need to be sure to be ready to answer questions about IEP and CSE meetings so you can answer with confidence any question that is thrown at you. You must also know about the service and support options in your school district offers.
Show your expertise in special education lessons: Even though all teachers adjust lessons to their students' needs, special ed teachers are required to adapt lessons to suit various disabilities and students. This means you must be an expert at individualize lessons and instruction for each student you teach.
Show your knowledge of disabilities: Since there are so many disabilities that appear in the special educational venue, you need to be familiar with as many as possible during an interview as well as in the classroom. Special education teacher jobs are easier to get if you have the knowledge of disabilities such as speech disorders, autism, emotional disorders, physical and mental handicaps and other disabilities that are categorized in your school district.

Besides the above knowledge requirements, you will also need to know about utilizing your support staff and make sure you mention you work well with your coworkers. When you really want to succeed in getting one of the special teaching jobs in your area, you need to remember to behave as an advocate for special ed children, understand the scope of special education teaching and you absolutely must be willing and able to go beyond the unique needs of the students you will be teaching.

How to Ensure That an Effective IEP Is Developed and Implemented

What frustrates parents the most about dealing with the school in relation to their special needs child?

When parents call me to say that they need help to advocate at a school meeting, it is because their child's educational needs aren't being met at school and they don't know what they can do to change things. When I ask the obvious question; does your child have an Individual Education Plan in place? They say 'Yes, but it is not being followed'. And THAT is what frustrates parents. They've followed the process of requesting an IPRC meeting to identify their child as exceptional and to determine the correct classroom placement, which finally led to the development of the IEP. The IEP is a document...a plan that should guide teachers on the steps to take in order to meet the educational needs of the student. So why is the student still having so much difficulty at school? You can't MAKE a teacher teach a certain way, or provide the modifications and accommodations that are in the IEP. So what is a parent supposed to do?

Perhaps the reason that the IEP is not being followed is that it is too general - it is not specific to the individual student. Perhaps it was processed in isolation as part of a procedure rather than being developed with input from a multidisciplinary team of professionals with each of the student's needs as the focus of the IEP.

I suggest that the parent request an IEP meeting to include all the key players, which is anyone who can provide input and suggest teaching strategies and accommodations to meet the needs of the child. The principal, because ultimately the principal is responsible for ensuring the implementation of the IEP; the classroom teacher and the educational assistant, because they will be the ones providing the teaching and the accommodations that are in the IEP; the special education resource teacher because he or she is the lead person in the development of the IEP; if the child has motor skills difficulties make sure an occupational therapist attends; if the child has language difficulties make sure a speech and language pathologist attends; if the child has behaviour difficulties make sure a behavioural consultant attends, if the child has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) make sure someone from the ASD support team attends, and so on....

At the meeting, the first step will be to clearly define the strength and needs of the student. Then go through the IEP step by step to make sure each need is thoroughly addressed, and that the goals and expectations are specific and measurable. Make sure that any equipment accommodations are readily available and can be provided immediately. Identify who is responsible for what service and how often. And finally, request that all school staff who have dealings with the student, are aware of the accommodations in the IEP.

At the end of the meeting, schedule a follow-up meeting in one month to evaluate what is working in the IEP and what is not working. This is not to evaluate the student per se, but rather the effectiveness of the IEP and whether or not it is being implemented successfully. Make the necessary changes to the IEP, and schedule another follow- up meeting in one month. Do this as many times as is necessary.