Serving as an educator, regardless of your role, is a tremendous responsibility. Educators today serve as role models, leaders, magicians, performers, and all things in between as we strive to serve the needs of children in an ever-changing educational landscape. Our students come to school with a myriad of challenges, and faculty and staff members are challenged daily to provide high-quality instruction while also serving students’ social and emotional needs.
There is no more excellent arena where this plays out each day than in special education classrooms. As a school principal, I have been fortunate to work alongside some incredible educators, and my special education colleagues have taught and shown me so much over my time.
As a principal, we are responsible for all things in our school. Culture, climate, instructional leadership, behavior and discipline, public relations, and others are part of the job. For me, I have learned many valuable lessons from the teachers around me. One truly impactful group is the special education department.
Special education teachers are master practitioners. They must balance students of all ability levels, behavior levels, and other challenges, while also advocating for their students to receive the same education as their peers. They truly are student-centered, and passionate about their students. They exhibit several qualities that I have tailored to fit into my leadership style.
Patience
First, I have learned the art of patience. Special education teachers are some of the most patient teachers I have been around. They understand that not all students reach the same levels and allow room to grow and learn. From them, I have learned the same about our school in general. We all won’t arrive at the same time to the same conclusions, and patience is a virtue.
Just like the quote, “Popcorn is prepared in the same pot, in the same heat, in the same oil, and yet, the kernels do not pop at the same time…don’t compare your child to other children. Their turn to pop is coming.” This truly sums up special education teachers and their ability to have patience for their students.
Inclusivity
Another quality I have learned from them is the practice of being inclusive. School is already a divisive place, and in high school, the divide between students can be very real and obvious. Special education teachers are constant advocates for their students, fighting for the same opportunities for them as their peers.
I have learned from them the ideals and practices of being inclusive across campus and ensuring that our policies and procedures support ALL students, not just a select few. Their perspective and insight are valuable, and often, we are blind to situations if we are not used to a different viewpoint.
Empathy
Another idea that I have learned from special education teachers is the practice of being empathetic to situations. Special education teachers and advocates don’t seek out sympathy. Many of their students are overcoming challenges and tremendous hurdles and obstacles, but they don’t want our sympathy.
They simply wish to be understood and have others be empathetic to the situation. Special education teachers are some of the bests at making sure this happens. They keep teachers and administrators informed of situations and potential problems and serve as critical pieces in the success of their students. Their ability to provide information as well as providing solutions to student issues is paramount to the success of school leadership. Often, these teachers have already identified a problem and worked out solutions that lead to the best outcome for students.
Diligence
As a principal, I want to highlight special education teachers working so diligently in schools today. These educators need our support, and they do wonderful things in the classroom. We must remember to respect what they do and understand it vastly differs from the other classroom teachers. We must also remember not to judge them and their processes.
They are working with students who experience school differently, and we must respect and understand what happens in the classroom. We must also continue to allow them academic freedom and space to build relationships. Special education teachers are the most relational-focused teachers in the building. As administrators, we have to cultivate that and celebrate that. Every child needs a champion!
Finally, administrators need to know that there are parts of a special education teacher’s job that we will never see. This could be the difficult phone call with a parent, the hours of IEP writing, or the long nights grading different content areas for each student. We must strive to provide feedback for our teachers and spend time in their classrooms! If we do this, we can learn and grow as administrators, ultimately impacting our total school program. Thank you to all our teachers, and especially our special education teachers. They truly are our profession’s “unsung heroes” and true difference-makers!
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