We would all be better off if our special education professionals were treated like…professionals. These are the folks that know students best, are tied in with parents, student peer circles, general education teachers, and related service professionals. Yet the problem of viewing special education teachers like nothing more than case managers is a tale as old as time.
Over twenty years in the profession, and I still get questions like “did you fill out the SES 14” or “we need you to call parents to…” or “we’re bringing in someone to collect data” before I’m ever asked “what is working in your classroom” or “tell us what’s going on.”
The biggest way to maximize learning, centralize services, and optimize school experiences is to professionalize special education. When the system realizes that special education teachers can be resources for general education teachers and administrators, when parents are reassured that special education teachers are competent and the best approach is to work together, and when training and meetings are carried out with this mindset, the gains in the school system for kids with disabilities will experience unprecidented progress. This progress will manifest in the classroom, at the meeting table, and at home.
Relationships between the school and home don’t need to be adversary. If you know a special education teacher who seems to have a guard up, is stand-offish, or is unwilling to take suggestions, there’s a good chance they’ve only been approached with “do this form or we’re going to get sued” versus “we have an opportunity for success for this child, can we get your feedback.” When trainings and conversations are centered on “we’ll get sued if you don’t…(insert paper work check mark)” it’s easy to see how walls are built between teachers and families. I can testify that every special education teacher I know has their students’ best interests in mind. And what they want to do is teach. Let’s let them teach. Let’s use them as the resources they are trained to be.
Professionalize the profession
Allow them to be the professionals they are trained to be
Foster a mindset across stakeholders that special educators have a specialized skillset
Everything else will fall into place