Becoming One of THOSE Teachers

When I first set out to be a teacher, I didn't think I would ever (like, ever. Like, evereverever.) teach special education. In fact, whenever I met someone who DID teach special education, I would bust out the big guns right away. You know the ones.

"Oh, wow. You must be so patient!"

"It takes a special kind of person to do that job."

"Wow. Good for you. I could neeeever do that!"

So I went ahead and got my general education credential. I student taught in a kindergarten and fourth grade class and totally loved it. Here I am, bursting with enthusiasm.
 

Then I went out and got my first real, live job teaching fifth grade. I hated my whole first year of teaching. And believe me when I say I was realllly not patient. The second year went much better, and I was finally starting to get into my groove when I was laid off in 2007. And that's when things got interesting.

I was asked to interview for a long term substitute position in a special education class.  I was super nervous about the interview, and even more nervous about the prospect of subbing for a class of children with special needs. By this time I had a few experiences working with kids with disabilities one on one and many experiences working with kids who were fully included. But I was still incredibly fearful. In fact, in my interview I told them that I wasn't sure that Special Ed was for me and I could only say that I would stay for the first month of school. I told them that after that first month, I made no promises.

It didn't take a full week, not even a full DAY, to know that I was home.  It took getting the wrong credential and two years of the wrong work experience and getting laid off to land there, but I finally found the joy in teaching while working with kids with special needs.  And it turns out, it doesn't take extreme levels of patience or a saintly personality or any of those things I thought to be one of THOSE teachers. Like I always tell people who tell me it "takes a special kind of person," it doesn't really take a special kind of person, it takes a different kind of person. And while each day is definitely different, I kind of like it that way.