Job Responsibilities
Daily Activities (7:10am - 2:10pm,Monday - Friday):
Planning and implementing lessons
Reviewing and reteaching lessons as needed
Monitoring acquisition of desired skills for mastery
Evaluating student performance and maintaining records of the
said evaluations
Modeling and reinforcing appropriate behaviors for optimal
learning (for all students)
Assisting in the administration of stadardized tests
Attending training/higher education classes for maintenance of
licensure for continued employment
Participating in extracurricular activities during after work
hours (select days of the week)
Participating on in-house committees to improve work environ-
ment for clients and staff
Completing periodic progress reports for administration and
clients
Providing special services to "at risk" clients and their
families
Serving on teams to develop specialized education plans for
clients (who qualify)
Chairing the development, implementation, and monitoring of
progress of (assigned) clients and their performance
within their specialized education plan
For select clients, developing an education portfolio to be
used in place of the standardized tests
For select clients, developing and assist in implementing
behavior plans in order to improve client's success in the
educational environment
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Job Requirements
In order to work as a teacher you must meet the state
requiremnet for licensure which includes (but is not limited to)
completion of a bachelor's degree in a 4-year college in the area
for which you want to teach. In order to continue teaching, one
must meet state requirements for updating the teaching license
every 5 years. This includes training, more college classes,
writing books/articles, research in the field, becoming
technology savvy, mentoring peers, and presenting/providing
training to others in the field. Many peers remain in the field
as teachers. Others move on to administrative positions (with
higher education degrees). Some leave the field altogether. Our
current weeder in the teacher PRAXIS. There are many good
teachers who have not successfully completed this state test and
who therefore are unable to meet the licensure requirements.
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Uppers
For me the best part of the job is seeing the success of the clients we serve.
When an educational plan or strategy is implemented and the client is the
benefactor of the successful implementation then I am very happy. I can go on
for a very long time in the trenches as a teacher as long as there is a positive
impact on the clients.
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Downers
The worst for me is when a client loses hope and don't
believe they can experience success in the learning environment.
It is very disheartening when you find your peers are not as
invested in the success of the clients as you are and when they
teach self-defeating behaviors to the clients. It hurts when you
hear a peer tell a client they can't achieve or call them dumb
and stupid.
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Lifestyle
This position is definitely a "service" job. You need to be a selfless person
who enjoy helping others. You should be patient and have a great sense of humor.
Knowing who you are goes a long way. You must be big on self-esteeme and self
worth. It is further important to know that you have something to give to
others. It is as though you are passionate about giving. To the point that your
life has not been lived if you don't share your special gift and talents with
others. If your goal in life is to make a lot of money, then this is not the
career choice for you. The dress code is of a professional style. No jeans and
t-shirts during the work day (at least where I work). The up side for many is
that in this business you work for 10 months and are off for 2 months (during the
summer). The pay is salaried and many end up working during the two months off
in order to supplement their pay. Some work part time during the school year in
order to do the same. If you speak more than one language this profession could
really use that diversity. Some of our clients come from various cultural
backgrounds. I almost forgot to mention that it is very important to have a
strong sense of community. What you teach and how you teach your clients will
definitely be spread by word of mouth advertisement.
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Compensation
As previously indicated, the pay is not the best. For
example, my pay for the upcoming school year will be $48,500. I
have been a teacher for 22 years. I work for 10 months and get 2
months off during the summer. I get health insurance for which I
have to pay a portion of the premium. The school division in
which I teach makes a contribution to the state retirement fund
in my name. We do not have a union in my state, but for a fee
you can join an association. I get to go to all of my school's
sporting events for free and I can bring a guest. My department
gets an annual stipend from which I may be allowed to order
materials for my students.
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Advice to Jobseekers
In my 22 years in the profession, I am currently seeing a
shortage of teachers. I am a special educator and the turnover
has been very high in this area of education. This year at my
school there were over ten new teachers hired in my department.
Last year we were up to the day before school was to start,
hiring 2 teachers, one of which is not returning. Many of the
teachers we've lost were due to salaries. Many of the school
division surrounding mine, pay more money. The other
contributing factor to our teacher lose has been teachers failing
to meet the state licensure requirements. Currently the outlook
is that there is a need for special educators and teachers of
science and mathematics. The need is great in urban communities,
because the challenge to teach clients faced with so many of
life's ups and downs is great. It takes a committed person to be
willing to set a standard for success in the midst of some of
life's oppositions (including the financial challenges of the
inner-city).
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