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So great news, I got into a masters program to earn a special education endorsement. I'm pretty happy because i did decent of the GRE (my Verbal score was 158, my math score was 150, my writing was a little low at 3.5, but hey nobody's perfect). My issue is though that now after a month of being accepted I don't know if i'll be a good special education teacher.
My problem isn't that I'm worried I won't do well in school, but more that i'll end up not doing well once i'm in the classroom. When first went to school to be a teacher I got my endorsement in Social Studies and loved the classes, and I thought i'd like being in the classroom. While I was a little younger (i'm 24 now and was 23 then) and not as cool, I struggled. While I expected to struggle in certain methods, my big problems were classroom management and emotional control as well as relating to students. While I certainly know my content, and don't mind getting up and speaking in front of people, my master teachers would say I was "inconsistent" especially in classroom management. I also lost control of my emotions, not during class, but afterwards. I'd cry and worry I wasn't doing anything right and that i'd fail. It made me feel worse because one of my master teachers would say "You have to be the Big Dick and not let things bug you" which is tough for me because i'm not the most confident guy and to me being like that is like being some frat boy jock (which my CT was, not that I hated him, he was a nice guy, just a different person from me).
Anyway I graduated in May of 2012, interviewed for jobs but didn't get any, though I was close to getting one or two. Anyway I took a job at a grocery store and substitute taught. I also worked as a traveling Vacation Bible School teacher traveling to Catholic churches during the summer. Anyway, I came back and felt that I could make more of a difference in special education. I felt that it was a field that needed people and I thought it was students with these disabilities who need it the most, as well as a boost of confidence for them, because I always felt thats what a lot of LD and BD kids need. So I applied for a masters program through the University of Nebraska and got in, which was good.
Here's where the problems start though. In the past month since acceptance I've been worried I won't make it. Not that I will fail academically or anything but that I won't be able to handle it. I haven't had much experience with volunteering, and I've only subbed in Sped classrooms a few times (though I loved it). I also worry my emotions will be a problem. I recently had an issue while subbing where I showed up at the wrong building for an already scheduled appointment. Anyway I got a little upset, and almost got kicked off the sub list (fortunately the superintendent was nice enough to understand, but still I probably won't get asked back for a little while). It makes me wonder if I'm emotionally capable of having any sort of job let alone being a teacher.
I worry i'll just end up working as a grocery sacker my whole life. Also, I wonder if it is for me because I've never really had interests in a lot of things. I like history and geography, but i wouldn't say i'm obsessed. I like being around kids, but that doesn't necessarily mean I should be a teacher, but what else can i do. In college I always thought about journalism or working in radio (dream job would still be to broadcast or announce sports, even if it was pretty low level events,), but I thought sports was kind of fickle and that being a teacher was more important. Of course now at 24 and heading into a masters program I can't just drop it. Also things like radio are hard to get jobs in. Also sports is more of a relaxing thing or hobby to me even though I love to talk about it. That being said I do think I can be a Sped teacher, and want to help these kids out and work with them, but I worry i'll either be too emotional or won't be happy.
I also worry i'll get the degree and won't get a job, though i've heard the job market is a lot better. I worry though I won't get a job except for minimum wage or low wage type jobs. Even now i don't know what i'm qualified for since all i've done is work a few part time jobs and substitute teach since I was 16. Also, people see me as a teacher, and I've only told my family about the idea of being a sportscaster or broadcaster, as well as my thought that it is fickle (though I love sports, at the end of the day it's just a bunch of guys throwing a ball around). A lot of my friends see me as a teacher (or counselor) but i don't know if i'm necessarily a disciplinarian. I'll admit i'm a sensitive guy and maybe teaching isn't for the sensitive.
That being said thanks for the advice. I guess I'm just looking for answers anywhere. I've asked a lot of people I know and they tell me to go for the masters. While I certainly do want to help kids with disabilities and such, I wonder if i'm able to. All I know is that I want something better. Not because i'm entitled to it, but because I want to be happy. I want to be successful and maybe some day be able to raise a family instead of living in my parents house.
Unless you are absolutely, positively, completely sure you want SPED don't do it. You will be dealing with a range of behaviors that many times are just not manageable, that's one reason the kid has an IEP. From LD to ED to whatever, often in combination.
As a 1st year teacher classroom management is difficult in any case, one of the things you're not taught to do (but I bet you can write one heck of a FfT lesson plan using your SLO template and incorporating each objective, even 2.2.34.23.145.1) but are expected to instinctively be competent doing.
Discipline issues are one thing that you're stuck with, too many referrals and you get the reputation of not being able to handle a class, have an Admin walk in while a kid is acting stupid (or it may not be an act) and you get the reputation of not being able to handle a class. Have an Admin walk in while the entire class is on task and working and you get the reputation of not being able to handle a class without super strict rules.
Have you looked at other areas of work that use the kind of education you have? Not everyone who goes to medical school becomes physician or a surgeon. Some wind up doing important research. So I expect that not everyone with a masters in education necessarily winds up being a teacher.
Look here is a whole list of careers within your field of study some of which are not teaching positions.
Crap, I missed this
A Master's will make your employment search harder as a 1st year teacher, you're more expensive. SPED, along with a couple other areas, is generally a high need area so that may even it out a bit.
It's possible that at your age and your struggles with being too "emotional" in the classroom that you are not ready to teach at this moment in your life. I truly believe that you do have the passion to want to teach, but may be the teaching part will come later in life when, hopefully, you are more confident and less emotional.
No offense, shadowfax, but I have to say that these sites you linked to are absolutely some of the most worthless things I have ever seen with regards to offering ridiculous "advice" for anyone with a MSPED...
Serious "research/human services / advocacy" are about as generic as one can get, the site is basically just "click bait" to sell space to for-profit schools hawking MSPED courses...
The other site is kind of the opposite -- offering a list of FURTHER specializations that will take EVEN more training. Not good...
The OP pretty clearly lacks not just experience but also has some real issues that they should sort through ASAP.
Fact is being a special education teacher can be VERY VERY challenging, not just emotionally for teachers that really do care about the kids that they are supposed to be helping, but also PHYSICIALLY in setting where the kids are bigger and the risks to dealing with certain kids of behavioral issues that often get handed off to younger male teachers can be out-and-out dangerous.
There are certain elements that one should have to be teacher, special ed or otherwise. I would highly recommend that the OP read up on the research around these areas --
Have you looked at other areas of work that use the kind of education you have? Not everyone who goes to medical school becomes physician or a surgeon. Some wind up doing important research. So I expect that not everyone with a masters in education necessarily winds up being a teacher.
Look here is a whole list of careers within your field of study some of which are not teaching positions.
Chet, My point was that the OP can use their work skills and education in a non-teaching job. The sites posted were not recommendations of places to look for a job but just happened to list a few ideas of what such positions might be. Sure perhaps in 20 years the OP might be mentally and emotionally equipped to handle teaching. However having been down that road, I would hate to see them spend that 20 years in some low end retail job eking out a living until they can get to that point.
I a not offended by your response despite your mistaking my purpose. Glad you were able to provide a better list of links.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by charlygal
Have you thought of getting a job as a teacher's aide in a Special Ed classroom to see how you'll like it?
Good idea, there always seems to be a shortage of Special Ed Para-Educators as they burn out pretty quickly. As do special ed teachers, many last only 5 years then go back to regular teaching. Even as a para-educator (aide) you will need some additional training such as in restraint, changing diapers, avoiding being bitten and scratched, and administering medications.
So great news, I got into a masters program to earn a special education endorsement. I'm pretty happy because i did decent of the GRE (my Verbal score was 158, my math score was 150, my writing was a little low at 3.5, but hey nobody's perfect). My issue is though that now after a month of being accepted I don't know if i'll be a good special education teacher.
My problem isn't that I'm worried I won't do well in school, but more that i'll end up not doing well once i'm in the classroom. When first went to school to be a teacher I got my endorsement in Social Studies and loved the classes, and I thought i'd like being in the classroom. While I was a little younger (i'm 24 now and was 23 then) and not as cool, I struggled. While I expected to struggle in certain methods, my big problems were classroom management and emotional control as well as relating to students. While I certainly know my content, and don't mind getting up and speaking in front of people, my master teachers would say I was "inconsistent" especially in classroom management. I also lost control of my emotions, not during class, but afterwards. I'd cry and worry I wasn't doing anything right and that i'd fail. It made me feel worse because one of my master teachers would say "You have to be the Big Dick and not let things bug you" which is tough for me because i'm not the most confident guy and to me being like that is like being some frat boy jock (which my CT was, not that I hated him, he was a nice guy, just a different person from me).
Anyway I graduated in May of 2012, interviewed for jobs but didn't get any, though I was close to getting one or two. Anyway I took a job at a grocery store and substitute taught. I also worked as a traveling Vacation Bible School teacher traveling to Catholic churches during the summer. Anyway, I came back and felt that I could make more of a difference in special education. I felt that it was a field that needed people and I thought it was students with these disabilities who need it the most, as well as a boost of confidence for them, because I always felt thats what a lot of LD and BD kids need. So I applied for a masters program through the University of Nebraska and got in, which was good.
Here's where the problems start though. In the past month since acceptance I've been worried I won't make it. Not that I will fail academically or anything but that I won't be able to handle it. I haven't had much experience with volunteering, and I've only subbed in Sped classrooms a few times (though I loved it). I also worry my emotions will be a problem. I recently had an issue while subbing where I showed up at the wrong building for an already scheduled appointment. Anyway I got a little upset, and almost got kicked off the sub list (fortunately the superintendent was nice enough to understand, but still I probably won't get asked back for a little while). It makes me wonder if I'm emotionally capable of having any sort of job let alone being a teacher.
I worry i'll just end up working as a grocery sacker my whole life. Also, I wonder if it is for me because I've never really had interests in a lot of things. I like history and geography, but i wouldn't say i'm obsessed. I like being around kids, but that doesn't necessarily mean I should be a teacher, but what else can i do. In college I always thought about journalism or working in radio (dream job would still be to broadcast or announce sports, even if it was pretty low level events,), but I thought sports was kind of fickle and that being a teacher was more important. Of course now at 24 and heading into a masters program I can't just drop it. Also things like radio are hard to get jobs in. Also sports is more of a relaxing thing or hobby to me even though I love to talk about it. That being said I do think I can be a Sped teacher, and want to help these kids out and work with them, but I worry i'll either be too emotional or won't be happy.
I also worry i'll get the degree and won't get a job, though i've heard the job market is a lot better. I worry though I won't get a job except for minimum wage or low wage type jobs. Even now i don't know what i'm qualified for since all i've done is work a few part time jobs and substitute teach since I was 16. Also, people see me as a teacher, and I've only told my family about the idea of being a sportscaster or broadcaster, as well as my thought that it is fickle (though I love sports, at the end of the day it's just a bunch of guys throwing a ball around). A lot of my friends see me as a teacher (or counselor) but i don't know if i'm necessarily a disciplinarian. I'll admit i'm a sensitive guy and maybe teaching isn't for the sensitive.
That being said thanks for the advice. I guess I'm just looking for answers anywhere. I've asked a lot of people I know and they tell me to go for the masters. While I certainly do want to help kids with disabilities and such, I wonder if i'm able to. All I know is that I want something better. Not because i'm entitled to it, but because I want to be happy. I want to be successful and maybe some day be able to raise a family instead of living in my parents house.
Thanks
Greenbay33
Since you already have a secondary license, have you considered a math or science endorsement? I honestly think these teachers might be more in demand than special ed teachers. Although, you did say that you loved subbing in special ed classrooms. I think you can do it if you want. An ESL or bilingual endorsement might also be worth considering.
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Omg...
