Do you have the desire to help people with special needs to achieve their dream careers and reach their potential? This could be children or even adults with disabilities who need special attention to grab and understand what has been taught.
Are you passionate about teaching students with unique learning styles? Before you can become a special education teacher you must pass through some processes which may differ from one state to another or from one country to another. Generally, we will discuss how to become a special education teacher, the degrees, certifications, and everything you need to have before moving into the classroom to teach those with special needs.Â
Some stats you need to know about people with special need
18% of Americans are classified as disabled.
In America, 20 million families have at least 1 disabled family member.
In 2022-2023, As listed by NCES 15.2% of students in the US are classified as disabled aged from 3 – 21 years.
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What skills are  important for a special  education teacher to have?
As someone who has decided to become a special education teacher, you should acquire the following skills to enable you to work effectively.
Tolerance: tolerance is very important for special education teachers they have to tolerate their students no matter how they behave, Knowing fully their condition the only way to handle them is tolerating their attitude.
Adaptability: Another required skill is Adapting to the teaching style and method, especially if just getting started in the special education Teaching career.
Behavior management: the ability to adjust and control some student’s behavior so that the teaching environment will be conducive for all.
Eg. In a case where your student is shouting and disturbing others you as a teacher should be able to calm the students so that others will not be disturbed and distracted by the noise.
Tech savvy: As a special education teacher you need to have some experience with technology to enable you to handle some technological tools and equipment needed to enhance the performance of those students with disabilities. Etc.
With these few skills, you are good to go with your special education Teaching career.
How long does it take to become a special education teacher?
It takes 4-5 years to become a special education teacher, you will need a bachelor’s degree to become one, and getting the bachelor’s degree may take up to 4 years.
how to become a special education teacher
Let’s properly discuss how to become a special education teacher including all the steps and procedures.
Make a decision:Â
having known the nature of the job you are about to venture into you need to make a strong decision within yourself and decide whether you are ready to embark on it or not.
Bachelor’s degreeÂ
You need to have a bachelor’s degree for you to become a special education teacher, enroll yourself in one of the universities to enable you to receive the degree.
Without this degree, it will be hard to get hired for any teaching job.
Ensure you have your bachelor’s degree in any of these areas Psychology, human resources, education, and others.
Receive certification
Certification is so important as well, after getting your degrees the next step is getting your certification.
You can enroll in a program that will allow you to get the needed certificate.
Attending Western Governors University (WGU) will help you to certified, licensed, degrees and even a master’s degree anyone you need just enroll at WGU and receive the degree.
Get licensedÂ
In some states, you may need to obtain a license before they can allow you to teach. how to become a special education teacher is getting a license, with the license you can stand a chance to get a SPED endorsement.
Internship
With the help of the Internship, you will receive experience on how teaching students with disabilities looks like.
It will help you to develop those skills needed to become a special education teacher, which will help you to go far in your teaching career.
Master’s degreeÂ
You may need to get get master’s degree as well.
how to become a special education teacher, this is all you needed to become a qualified special education teacher.
Duties of a special education teacher
Their duties include the following.
Tutoring students with disabilitiesÂ
Classroom managementÂ
Communicating and collaborating with peopleÂ
Developing lesson plans for their students. Etc.
what does it take to be a special education teacher?
To become a special education teacher it takes determination some degrees, a license, and certifications. With this, you are good to go.
What types of disabilities will I work with as a special education teacher?
We have many disabilities which IncludesÂ
DeafnessÂ
AutismÂ
Blindness
ADHDÂ
Dumbness. Etc
As a special education teacher, you may teach categories of students with the above disabilities.
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how to become a special education teacher in Georgia.
Are you living in Georgia and would like to choose a special education Teaching career? You need to follow these steps.
- Undergraduate Program
You need to take an undergraduate program eg Special Education B.S.Ed. Certification which leads to mild disability tutoring and Dual certification which will lead to becoming a P-5 special education teacher.
- Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s (ABM) program.
In Georgia how to become a special education teacher involves enrolling In an Accelerated bachelor’s to master’s program which will help you to obtain a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree faster.
- Graduate Programs
With your graduate program, you can get a certificate to take your special education teaching to grades P-12.
E.g. Studying M.A.T. in Special Education, M.Ed. in Special Education or Teaching and Learning Ed.S.
This program is directly approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.
InGeorgia the more you go higher in degree the more your level will be increasing in special education Teaching.
Special Education Teacher salary
The Salary for special education teachers ranges from $72,000 and above.
How to become a  special education  teacher without a degree.
Many states may not permit this though, before planning to become a special education teacher without a degree firstly verify if that is possible in your state.
If it is possible then you have to look for alternative means of getting a certificate by enrolling In a program.
How to become a Special Education teacher in Florida.
Before venturing into becoming a special education teacher you need to have a bachelor’s degree, the bachelor’s degree can be anyone, Then move further Acquiring a teaching certificate from the state.
You need to meet and pass through other requirements such as.
General knowledge test.
Professional education text.
With these certifications, you will be qualified to be hired in Florida for special education teaching jobs.
Even if you want to further your education to focus on a specific topic, you can still do that while teaching in the classroom as a special education teacher.
What are the challenges of being a special education teacher?
The challenges includeÂ
low payments
Getting weary of the job. Etc.
ConclusionÂ
With your career as a special education teacher, you can help students with disabilities discover their visions and help them to become a better version of themselves.
Becoming a special education teacher also has some benefits and rewards that come with it.
How to become a special education teacher has been simplified, follow the above procedures if you want to become a special education teacher.