I’m a Special Education teacher.

Anonymous

June 11,2022 at 2:42PM UTC

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I’m a Special Education teacher. I had a pretty bad experience last year with a principal who was non-communicating. There are two stories I can share that illustrate. One is someone was coming from the district to train me on the IEP system four months after I had gotten hired (I still had to do IEPs, without being trained in the meantime). I didn’t know he was coming into he walked into the room. (He stated, “I just talked to your principal.) That may have been the case, but I still knew nothing. The other time was when the principal changed my duty and his own secretary was still calling me for my old duty 4 days later. I would like to take another teaching job but I’m afraid of what I’ll run into this year! Any advise is appreciated

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MollyJune 11,2022 at 3:50PM UTC
I used to be a special education teacher. Leaders who don’t communicate well are as rampant in k12 edu as they are in the business sector. Going to another school doesn’t mean you won’t encounter this again. It’s typical of folks who fail upward - they’re savvy or well-connected enough to position themselves for leadership even though they lack key skills.
You could look into tips for managing upward - proactively asking for details and sharing information when you receive it.
AnonymousJune 11,2022 at 6:54PM UTC
What do you suggest if I want to move out of dealing with Special Education students. I am looking for around 50,000 and I used to do medical claims processing. Here in Arizona, that starts at minimum wage ($15.00/hr). I can't afford to do that. I don't want to be a general education teacher either. When I saw what one of the 5th grade teachers had to deal with last year, nope! No, thank you!
AnonymousJune 12,2022 at 3:00PM UTC
Try to network with folks on linked in who work at places you apply to ask them questions to get a sense of what you are walking into. Ask questions during interviews to also get a sense of expectations
AnonymousJune 12,2022 at 6:14PM UTC
I have a child in Special Education., and from what I’ve seen - you’all (teachers ) have to shop around districts just like us parents do. Networking with teachers that have taught in the districts will give you the best gauge of how they are supported.
Some districts absolutely don’t give much support, and from a parents side, we have to worry about these as well.
One of my daughters Paras got her degree and teaching license and took a job in a neighboring district. Within two years, she was back to ours because she was not supported.
We moved here based on parent references and checking cases of abuse - I’m going to guess teachers would have similar feedback, but know more about the school administrators.
Stephanie IngleJuly 27,2022 at 1:30PM UTC
Surely your skill set is in high demand! I don't think all principals are like that - they sound unprofessional and flighty... Try again at a new school Note what you ran into previously as a 'lesson learned' so the new principal can partner with you in your duty and training assignments...