Careers_in_the_Field_of_Special_Education.docx Careers in the Field of Special Educatio

Careers_in_the_Field_of_Special_Education.docx    Careers in the Field of Special Education  Grand Canyon University: SPD 501    Careers in the Field of Special Education  According to the United States Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook for Special Education Teachers, special education teachers perform a variety of duties. Two important duties are: supervise and mentor teacher assistants who work with students with disabilities and plan activities that are specific to each students abilities. These duties can be successful when collaboration takes place between the special education teacher, teacher assistants and specialists in the school building. A special education teacher must advocate for each student to receive a quality education according to their individual needs and abilities.  Special Education Teacher Duties  Supervising and mentoring teacher assistants is important for a successful learning environment. A special education teacher works with students with a wide variety of disabilities. These students are successful when their personalized education plans are followed. To follow these plans, a special education teacher will often train teacher assistants to lead groups, work 1:1, record data and interact with the students. Teacher assistants have more hands-on interaction with the students. The special education teacher guides and teaches the teacher assistants to meet the needs of each student.  The needs of each student are varied and a plan should be laid based on these needs. For example,