Special Education Teacher (Ebd) 

How did you get your current job?
I read about it online.

What was the application process?
Submitted resume and cover letter online, answered questions online for a pre-interview.

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes, I had one interview that included the principal and assistant principal and a variety of questions.

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
What experience do you have that will help you in this job? Tell us a little about your background. Let’s say you had 10 students with EBD on your caseload, and they all had strong externalizing behaviors: how would you go about managing their behaviors? It seems like you have a lot of behavior management experience, but it doesn’t seem like you have any academic teaching experience; why should we consider you when that is an important quality? Do you have any questions for us?

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
I feel my past experience has prepared me for my job; my employer has done their best with limited time and resources to support me.

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
I am still in an MAT in Special Education program at graduate school. It takes two years of evening and summer classes. Plus I will have to do a state internship program to be fully certified. I have been to a variety of professional development sessions to learn things for the job.

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
My undergraduate degree (BA Biblical Studies) has not prepared me for this job. My MAT program has provided some not-very-useful classes and some very, very useful classes so far (such as Applied Behavior Analysis).

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
I did not have an internship experience.

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
If you already have an undergraduate degree, then you can go to graduate school for an Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Special Education Alternative Certification Route. This allows you to get a job at a school as a special education teacher immediately (receiving temporary provisional certification to teach) and to go to graduate school for two years while teaching to get a degree and full certification. I would recommend shadowing an EBD teacher first, however, as the job is not for everyone. Many people do not last their first year, but I doubt this would happen if they shadowed first.

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
They should have a high level of patience, strong pro-social skills, the ability to proactively communicate with others, and an ability to bounce back from challenges and try new techniques every day. Your students will throw many challenges your way by their behaviors, which can be very stressful; you must be willing to not take things personally, to be patient, and to control your reactions so that you are always strategically choosing your words and actions. This can be true in working with other teachers as well. You need to deal with people all the time–parents, teachers, administrators, visitors, students, etc–so your social skills need to be strong enough to build connections with these people. You must be the first to communicate. You must bounce back each day and try new things, because the same interventions do not work for all students and do not work every day for the same student.

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes, to some degree. You need experience or training in deescalation strategies and how to intervene with behavior issues.

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Make some friends who are in the field, so that you have people to talk to for advice or to blow off steam. Collect data on your students, so that you have a clear picture of their behavior issues–this is important so that you can communicate with others objectively about your students’ needs. Shadow other people so you know what you are getting into. Do not give up on your first day, first week, first month, or beyond; it will take some time. Do your best to be good at one thing at a time. Get to know your support team, including assistants; show them care and respect, because they can be your best support too. You are often the only advocate for your students; do it for them.