Teaching as a profession requires a set of qualities, but teaching in a special education sector requires more than cognitive skills. It requires a person to go beyond the ordinary reasoning and understanding and yet be in-sync with reality. If you plan to be a part of this special world, you are in for an exciting journey that will take you through situations you have never been before. The career progression is not only rewarding, but also fulfilling in ways that cannot be defined.
As a prospective special education teacher, here are a few personality traits that you need to hone, if not inherent, to hit it right in the field of special education as a career option.
A special children school works with students with autism - emotional disparity and intellectual disabilities – and dealing with such students daily can push you to your limits despite the care of not being overwhelming, firm or direct, but kind and helpful, even in tough situations. As an instructor, these students look up to you for the minutest of needs, and hence, it is important that you keep a check of your reactions and responses. It is easy to lose it at an instant, and hence, watch yourself each time that a situation arises and be aware. A balanced judgment and calm temperament are essential approaches. Be confident about your final judgments, else it is easy to lose the grip. Regularly dealing with students who are incapable of making decisions can lead you to start doubting your own decisiveness.
At a special children education school, frustrating situations are an inherent part, and there will be times when you will feel that matters are getting out of hand from bad to worse. This is when you need to understand that your students do not have the basic intellectual and rational abilities to tackle the matter on their own. They do not have the maturity to suffer quietly and if anything troubles them, they will react in a way that is natural to them.
Remember that these students are reacting without a thought or agenda to it, which is why a teacher must not react to their comments and statements, but stay calm, assess the matter and then come out with a rational solution to deal with it. If you feel you will struggle in this area, keep the focus on positive aspects and work on any constructive feedback that you receive.