1. Employment Profile: What exactly does a My title is Special Educator. do? |
|
 What field is your job in?
My field is education.
|
|
What is your job title?
My title is Special Educator.
|
|
Please provide a brief description of the firm or organization that you currently work for
(size and general description of what type of organization it is)
I work in a high school of about 1,400 students. The make-up of the school is a diverse enrollment, with many students immigrants or children of immigrants.
|
|
How long have you been employed in this position?
I am in my 11th year.
|
|
How many hours do you work a week on average?
Technically, I work a 35 hour work week. I bring work home and put in many more hours.
|
|
Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
I am a self-contained Special Educator of Mild/Moderate students. My class size is of basically 10 students, but I have up to a total of 13 during various classes. My students range in age from 15 to 19 years. I teach English, Math, Science, History and Vocational Studies. I am also the Case Manager of my base 11 students.
|
|
What was your gross income last year? Please include any bonuses or incentives received.
$60,000
|
|
What is your expected gross income for this year? Please include any bonuses or incentives you expect to receive.
64000
|
|
Please
list any benefits you have (Please include number of weeks vacation,
sick leave and type of health insurance, retirement plan 401k)
I receive 15 sick days and 2 personal days per year. Holidays and 8 weeks per summer are included in my yearly income, although my district does not disburse my pay during the summer months.
|
|
Do you feel you are under/well/over compensated at your current position?
I feel that I am well compensated at my current position, but considering the responsibilities and outside hours put into my job, better compensation would help deter our good teachers from moving to different districts.
|
|
|
2. Work environment! |
|
Does
your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this
something you like/dislike about your job? Explain
Since I am self-contained, I do not have the interaction with co-workers as much as I would like or need. It is good to have common planning time so we can get feedback and suggestions from each other, but that time is usually used for meetings, phone calls, etc. I do work with two Teacher's Assistants who are tremendous assets.
|
|
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
No
|
|
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
No
|
|
Describe
your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what
you like/dislike about working in it
I love the fact that my students stay with me on an average of 4 years, because the trust and communication we have is irreplaceable. I am fortunate to be actively involved with, not only the students, but their families, too. This position is extremely draining because my students are so needy, but I would not leave it for another one!
|
|
Please rank in order of importance from 1-8 (1- most important 8- least important) Assign each number once.
-
2 Income
-
5 Work Environment - co-workers
-
6 Work Environment - supervisors
-
3 Benefits
-
4 Hours
-
8 Level of responsibility
-
1 The actual "work" you do at your job
-
7 Job Title
|
|
3. How should someone new to the workforce get a J-O-B like yours? |
|
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
One thing they would have to do is get a degree, of course. Next, they would have to dump one-half of what they learned in the college classroom and replace it with pure common sense.
|
|
What
skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a
position like yours? Please be specific and explain why (e.g., social
skills, organization skills, technical skills)
Social skills are definitely important. You would want to be a role model for your students...a good one. Communication skills are most important. Not only must you communicate efficiently, you must listen even better. I have so many distractions during the day that my organizational skills need tweaking. Because of the huge amount of paperwork (most of it redundant), if you are not fairly organized, you will suffer. Besides strong communication skills, having a good sense of humor is so very important! You will have to laugh at yourself and show your students you are human, too. Show them that you can learn and have fun at the same time!
|
|
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
You have to learn the basics, but do not forget to use your gut feelings and common sense.
|
|
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Go into this field with an open mind. Be flexible...things you have planned will not always work out the way you want them to. Never take anything personal (from students OR co-workers). Ask questions! Ask for advice! During my first year teaching, my Mentor told me, "Just remember, no matter what happens, it will always be your fault!" Accept that...then move on.
|
|
In order to view the remaining sections of this questionnaire please
SIGN IN
or
REGISTER HERE or 
|
