How to Become a Special Education Teacher, Steps towards becoming one

Education is the basic need of every human being, but the people with special needs want more dedication from their teachers in this field. The teachers in this field of special education are not less than any national hero. Special education teachers are making a difference with their special abilities of teaching. They are providing a best environment for the special students to work on their abilities and become a successful person in their lives and the careers they want to excel in. Special education is the profession in which you need dedication and heartfelt passion to teach the students with special needs.

You have to show some patience and hardwork to work in this field. In this article we will explore the basic information for how to become a special education teacher. The step you need to take to make this your profession. Special education is not just a profession but this is the change the teacher will make in the lives of the students. There are about 33 thousand and 5 hundred jobs opened in the United States for teaching in special education. 

Steps of How to Become a Special Education Teacher:

There are some formal standards that are set for the people who want to join special education as a career. Compassion, hardwork and positivity are other plus points for a special education teacher. To enter the classrooms as a teacher, there are some legal requirements for the person to fulfil, here are these:

1. Get a Bachelor’s Degree:

Being sufficiently educated in the relevant field is a must to teach that specific subject or a class.  If you are already educated then you will be able to teach your students. You have to earn a four year bachelor degree in special education if you want to become a special education teacher. For this, your location does not matter, you have to complete 4 years of education. You should have a relevant background in education to excel in the field. The major degrees include social work, education, special education, behavioural science and elementary education. Getting a bachelor degree will make you capable of getting many professional opportunities in your field.  This step is the main and first step towards becoming a special education teacher. 

2. Obtain a Special Education Teacher Certification or Credentials:

Special education teaching requires exclusive efforts to teach as you have to make an individual plan for every student by taking care of their personal needs and depending upon the abilities of the students. A standard teacher just needs to get a bachelor degree in the relevant field but a special education teacher needs a certificate or credential approved by the state. It is needed to ensure the capabilities of the teacher that they can teach a student with  special needs. When you get this certificate then you are 2 steps down towards your special education teaching career. 

3. Work to Get Teaching Experience:

Any profession needs a hand on experience or real life experience. Special education teaching also needs practical experience in the real classroom. For this you have to complete teaching hours. This will help you to develop theoretical knowledge and you will know to work with the students and you will understand their needs. Special education is a very dynamic field so to cope up with this you have to be ready according to the needs of the field. Some institutes will also ask for your working hours or any internship you have done before to enter the classrooms. Here are some options you can consider to work on to get real life experience and complete your teaching hours. 

• Volunteer working
• Tutoring
• Working as teachers assistant
• Internships
• Professional workshops
• Getting Master’s Degree

4. Get a Masters Degree:

Getting a master’s degree is now a very crucial part of becoming a special education teacher. As most of the institute preferred the teacher who has a masters degree. It is very important to work and accept the changes happening in the field. At bachelors level you are able to get basic knowledge and fundamentals of the field. But with a master’s degree you get the specialized knowledge and advanced knowledge of the field. Masters will make you capable to cope up with different challenges you will get while in the class, such as;

• Orthopedic disabilities
• Dyslexia
• Articulations issues

This will make the special education teachers to know about the new researches, technologies and strategies they can work on while in the working field. 

5. Acquire a State Licence for a Special Education Teacher:

Each state of the country has different strategies and requirements for the certifications and licence issuance for the teachers of special education. You have to do proper research for the specific state in which you are planning to teach in special education. But there is a general review for the requirements to get a state licence:

• Submit an application for licence issuance
• Pass the exam conducted for issuance of licence
• Complete the history of the documents needed
• Submit the required fees

You have to pass the exam conducted to the licence issue, so the state has an idea about your abilities to teach in the relevant field. 

6. Renew Your Teaching Licence:

This is considered as an extra step for the special education teaching career, but it is a must to renew the licence issued to you by the state. If you have to pursue this career for a longer period of time then you should remember the expiry dates and the renewal requirements for the teaching licence. Basically, the licence lasts for at least 5 years and the renewal process is not complex but as easy as you have to submit an online application. Some of the states have different time spans of the licence expiries. 

Skills to Get to Become a Special Education Teacher:

To excel in your field you have to make your skill sets unique as compared to the other people. To grow professionally you have to work on your skills on a regular basis. Special education teachers should be competent and tolerant enough to polish their skill frequently and according to the opportunities. Here are some skill, a special education teacher should must have:

• Collaborating powers, to work as a team
• Critical thinking, to make things easy
• Communication skills, to deliver their message completely to their students
• Data management, to keep the records
• Patience, to work with the people with special needs

Faqs:

1. What are the requirements for special education in California?

The main requirements to become a special education teacher are getting a bachelor’s degree, special education teaching licence and certificates and completing the teaching hours.

2. How long do special education teachers go to school?

It depends upon the different states the teacher teaches, as the timing varies, but the hours match the other typical schools like 8 am to 1 pm.

3. Where do special education teachers make the most money?

It depends upon the specialized fields the teacher teaches, such as dyslexia teachers make most of the money in their field. 

4. Which diploma is best for special education?

Diploma for a special education assistant is the best for a special education teaching career.