What is shocking is the way teachers come to ride the short bus for their educational careers. I have sat in too many interviews with other administrators for special education positions where a lack of understanding and a need to fill some other roll in the building takes precedent over a candidates knowledge of educating students with disabilities. So, I've created a list of where we administrators usually go wrong in hiring special education teachers (or opening the door to the short bus). Here are the first three!
1. I need a coach! Yes you might need a coach, and you probably have a special education position open, but is your coach there for the athletics first and the education second? Can your coach break down a task as well as he can break down the Wildcat formation for the football team? I have trained numerous coaches (mostly former PE and or social studies teachers) to be excellent special education teachers. How? I take their knowledge of dissecting offenses and defenses and show them how to apply it to student behavior and curriculum issues. I give them examples of good IEP's and then we practice before they ever sit down to run an IEP meeting by themselves! If you don't have someone on your staff that can do this for a coach, you do the students and the professional a disservice letting them ride of the short bus until a better opportunity comes along, or a regular education position opens up!
2. They are politically connected! Hey, I understand that it's good to have someone on your side when you go into a board meeting, or deal with the public, really I do. The flip side of that is if you want someone to see where some of the smelliest, dirtiest laundry is at your school...well special education is a good place to start. If this is one of your reasons for hiring someone for a special education position all I can say is be very, very careful!
3. They have a child with disabilities. Hey, so do I and you know what that doesn't mean.... it doesn't mean I know anything about educating a variety of students with disabilities in a public school setting, or completing paperwork, or working with regular education teachers. Many people get into special education because they have a family member with disabilities and often times their hearts are in the right place. Here's the problem! When your job is to be a parent your perspective, your advocacy and your role in the IEP process is very different than the role of the educator in the IEP process. Some people can separate the two and some people feed information about all the things you don't do to special interest groups. Double check that you hired an educator who has a student with a disability and not a vigilante trying to right an entire system!
I have a few more that I'll share in part 2 as well as what to look for when hiring special education teachers and some good questions to ask (whether they ride the short bus voluntary or if they get pushed on).
