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Career Exploration

Special Education Teachers, Middle School

Also called: Intervention Specialist, Middle School Special Education Teacher, Special Education Resource Teacher, Teacher

What they do:

Teach academic, social, and life skills to middle school students with learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Includes teachers who specialize and work with students who are blind or have visual impairments; students who are deaf or have hearing impairments; and students with intellectual disabilities.

On the job, you would:
  • Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
  • Modify the general education curriculum for special-needs students, based upon a variety of instructional techniques and instructional technology.
  • Develop or write Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students.
On the job, you'll need:

Arts and Humanities

  • English language

Education and Training

  • teaching and course design

Math and Science

  • psychology
  • arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Business

  • customer service

Basic Skills

  • talking to others
  • figuring out how to use new ideas or things

Social

  • teaching people how to do something
  • understanding people's reactions

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Verbal

  • read and understand what is written
  • communicate by speaking

Ideas and Logic

  • make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
  • notice when problems happen

Attention

  • pay attention to something without being distracted

Social

People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking.

  • Concern for Others
  • Adaptability/Flexibility
  • Dependability
  • Self Control
  • Cooperation
  • Stress Tolerance

Presentation software

  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Pear Deck

Computer based training software

  • Padlet
  • Schoology

Video creation and editing software

  • Flipgrid
  • Video editing software

Video courtesy of CareerOneStop.

Job Outlook

The job outlook for this position is Below Average.

New job opportunities are less likely in the future.

Median Annual Salary: $62,990

Education

Master's degree or bachelor's degree is usually needed.