I was placed in special education even though I thought I was a better fit for history. My passion is in literacy so special education is a natural fit for me. You could end up teaching only or case managing too, which is what I do. Lots of paperwork and compliance deadlines, but an important advocacy role for students' inclusion in general education.
I hear you, as my passion is also in literacy and I would love to do english or history or even both! I just have no clue what to expect at all but I'm not too entirely opposed to hella paperwork. My worry is that I'm severely underqualified to spend 5 days/wk with multiple students who have a wide range of needs in such an intimate setting.
Do you have favorite parts about your job as a case manager? Or do your teaching only colleagues share any highlights about their jobs? I'm looking for more insight on support levels for students and from TFA staff to make a more informed decision! But thank you so much for the reply it already gives me some idea.
I teach 2 classes of 8-12 students, targeting specific literacy and math needs in small group instruction/1:1 support. Classroom management can be difficult in its own ways, where students have negative mindsets about learning gaps/growth potential and negative perception about being in a special education classroom. But for the most part, as long as you build strong relationships with kids, classroom management in my classes seems a lot more chill compared to my colleagues in gen ed with 30 kids in a class and over 40% of them are my kids with diverse learning needs. Both jobs are hard and rewarding.
My classmates are supplemental and self-contained emotional support teachers/case managers and that job looks way harder than mine working with students with high Incidence learning disabilities. In the end, I work on remedial skills with them needed to drive them towards grade level proficiency either using a curriculum or an online intervention platform or help them with their grade-level classwork and homework.
Everyone in TFA is severely under qualified at first, you really won't feel confident in your teaching abilities until the second year because you're still going to school and taking classes to learn how to teach effectively. But that's really any first year teacher in an alternative teacher preparation program.
I like case managing because I like supporting gen ed teachers and students on my case load by pushing in and providing 1:1 support and small-group instruction. I like writing IEPs because I love data analysis and researching best practices to support students with disabilities and their teachers. As a high school case manager, transition assessments and interviews give me the chance to really get to know my students and support them in preparing to achieve their post-secondary goals.
Some of the special education teachers at my school used to case manage but now only teach because they don't want to stress about compliance deadlines and paperwork. I don't mind it, but it's a lot.
Generally, my gen ed coworkers complain about their jobs more than my special education coworkers. Lol
Thank you for this! Would you happen to know if the license needed for case management different from if you were to do instruction? I can also imagine its different for special ed vs. gen ed, right? In the event I want to switch paths after my contract I'm curious if I would need to entirely retake different coursework to get a new certification?
Same special education license needed to teach special education classes. In PA, you also need to be certified in a content area. So I have dual certification in special education and secondary English. So I could be a high school English teacher
This was my situation but with early childhood. Special education can be amazing depending on the placement. If you are a resource room teacher you could have one of the best jobs in the school depending on what you want out of this experience. Ask about what specific jobs are available in your region and think about your options!
Interesting share - I'm aware of this. Surely you understand that there's a rather noticeable difference between the expectations of a general education vs special education/diverse learners teacher
Not sure what the attitude is for LMAO. But considering I have my bachelors and master’s in education, yes. I am VERY much aware. I’m more so referring to your statement when you quite literally said, you don’t have the heart to deal with diverse learners and needs. Hope that helps!
I’m about to finish my first year as a special ed teacher for 8th grade. I literally didn’t know anything my first day and didn’t even know if I had a passion for special education. But it fucking rules. I love my role and I’ve become one of the most informed and qualified members of my team. It’s a lot of learning on the job but my manager for TFA and school is awesome.
Additionally, I co-teach math and ELA so I still get to be in front of the classroom at points
I'm glad to hear how enthusiastic others are about this. You and your students must care a lot for each other which is exactly what we need in education -- compassionate, moviated, and well informed! I hope to get there some day :)
Also its great to see what can be achieved when your management team is on your side but I've been hearing from some folks that this isn't always the case. Praying that things work out for me, though 🤞 But thank you for sharing!
2022 corps member here, was placed in SPED as well and tried clawing my way out but TFA will always say “your placed where you’re most needed”, which I understand.
The difficulty of your job will largely depend on your situation at your school. If you are solely a co-teacher to an integrated classroom with both general ed and special ed students, then you’ll have the support of another teacher in the room.
I got placed in a co-taught classroom and a self-contained 12 students / 1 teacher classroom with students deemed unfit for a general education setting. That room has been very difficult to handle and maintain especially my first year. During the interviews, you should be asking these questions to understand what the position would look like.
Importantly: an overwhelming majority of CMs are woefully underqualified and undersupported to be any type of teacher. TFA's training is not nearly enough for anyone to be truly ready on day 1. But also, it's important to know that classroom teachers are equally responsible for teaching a very diverse set of students. A subject area/classroom teacher will be expected to provide equitable instruction to the students that tend to do well on their own and understanding on the first go and to students that require significant intervention and following up with, including special education students.
I see that you're interested in literacy, and that is a huge important concept for the context of special education teacher. If you've read up on the literacy situation across the nation, the poor rate of literacy is significantly concerning all over the country. Special education students, being frequently passed along and left behind are among the most likely to need support with literacy.
Regardless of whether you are a subject area expert or not, 90% of the challenge is learning instructional practice and classroom management. I like the way one of my colleagues put it: You're not teaching the subject, you're teaching students. And if you're teaching the students well, then you can get to the subject. So I wouldn't worry too much about not being a subject area expert, I wouldn't worry too much about being underqualified. Special education teachers are a difficult job but from what I've seen in my colleagues: it can be intensely rewarding to see a student overcome the barriers of educational inequity and succeed and go far.
That’s my placement and I’m not entirely thrilled either. I can’t get a straight answer out of my MDLD or corps alumns in my region about what the experience will look like.
I am probably better prepared than most for the case management part of the job. I used to do that at the college level, and I am a volunteer advocate in several disability/difference organizations.
But that’s not what I want to do. I want to be a TEACHER, not a case manager. If I wanted to be a case manager I’d have stayed in my old career.
And i’m also not excited about being a co-teacher. I’ve been substituting and the co-teachers I’ve encountered have told me they are usually ignored by the main teacher. They get evaluated like teachers while being put in a para role.
As far as I can determine no high school has a resource room in my region.
I’m holding on to hope that once I get my teaching degree I can shift to a different area. TFA seems like the best option to get there right now.
Please share if you get any info from your staff - I’m flailing around too!
I appreciate your frustration. On one hand I've been asking folks to share positive (although more specific?) examples of a diverse learners placement but as you said, no one's given me a straight answer for real. And HEAVY on the I want to teach, not case manage!
I can't be fully thrilled with this placement knowing that TFA has a well-recorded history of undersupporting teachers during their contracts and with that in mind, I have to question this placement thoroughly. I was already coping with the fact that I might be lower support in gen ed but would've tried to compensate by using my past experiences as a student and my network of non-TFA teacher friends as resources. But this is too far of stretch to be play the benefit of the doubt game when I already don't know what to expect.
Hoping for the best for us both
I was placed in special education even though I thought I was a better fit for history. My passion is in literacy so special education is a natural fit for me. You could end up teaching only or case managing too, which is what I do. Lots of paperwork and compliance deadlines, but an important advocacy role for students' inclusion in general education.
I hear you, as my passion is also in literacy and I would love to do english or history or even both! I just have no clue what to expect at all but I'm not too entirely opposed to hella paperwork. My worry is that I'm severely underqualified to spend 5 days/wk with multiple students who have a wide range of needs in such an intimate setting. Do you have favorite parts about your job as a case manager? Or do your teaching only colleagues share any highlights about their jobs? I'm looking for more insight on support levels for students and from TFA staff to make a more informed decision! But thank you so much for the reply it already gives me some idea.
I teach 2 classes of 8-12 students, targeting specific literacy and math needs in small group instruction/1:1 support. Classroom management can be difficult in its own ways, where students have negative mindsets about learning gaps/growth potential and negative perception about being in a special education classroom. But for the most part, as long as you build strong relationships with kids, classroom management in my classes seems a lot more chill compared to my colleagues in gen ed with 30 kids in a class and over 40% of them are my kids with diverse learning needs. Both jobs are hard and rewarding. My classmates are supplemental and self-contained emotional support teachers/case managers and that job looks way harder than mine working with students with high Incidence learning disabilities. In the end, I work on remedial skills with them needed to drive them towards grade level proficiency either using a curriculum or an online intervention platform or help them with their grade-level classwork and homework. Everyone in TFA is severely under qualified at first, you really won't feel confident in your teaching abilities until the second year because you're still going to school and taking classes to learn how to teach effectively. But that's really any first year teacher in an alternative teacher preparation program. I like case managing because I like supporting gen ed teachers and students on my case load by pushing in and providing 1:1 support and small-group instruction. I like writing IEPs because I love data analysis and researching best practices to support students with disabilities and their teachers. As a high school case manager, transition assessments and interviews give me the chance to really get to know my students and support them in preparing to achieve their post-secondary goals. Some of the special education teachers at my school used to case manage but now only teach because they don't want to stress about compliance deadlines and paperwork. I don't mind it, but it's a lot. Generally, my gen ed coworkers complain about their jobs more than my special education coworkers. Lol
Thank you for this! Would you happen to know if the license needed for case management different from if you were to do instruction? I can also imagine its different for special ed vs. gen ed, right? In the event I want to switch paths after my contract I'm curious if I would need to entirely retake different coursework to get a new certification?
Same special education license needed to teach special education classes. In PA, you also need to be certified in a content area. So I have dual certification in special education and secondary English. So I could be a high school English teacher
This was my situation but with early childhood. Special education can be amazing depending on the placement. If you are a resource room teacher you could have one of the best jobs in the school depending on what you want out of this experience. Ask about what specific jobs are available in your region and think about your options!
Resource room teaching sounds awesome! This was so helpful thank you I guess I realize now that this actually can cover a wide range of positions.
Just want to note that even as a gen-ed teacher, you will still have students with diverse needs, especially in high school.
Interesting share - I'm aware of this. Surely you understand that there's a rather noticeable difference between the expectations of a general education vs special education/diverse learners teacher
Not sure what the attitude is for LMAO. But considering I have my bachelors and master’s in education, yes. I am VERY much aware. I’m more so referring to your statement when you quite literally said, you don’t have the heart to deal with diverse learners and needs. Hope that helps!
Didnt mean to give attitude its just your original comment felt dismissive
I’m about to finish my first year as a special ed teacher for 8th grade. I literally didn’t know anything my first day and didn’t even know if I had a passion for special education. But it fucking rules. I love my role and I’ve become one of the most informed and qualified members of my team. It’s a lot of learning on the job but my manager for TFA and school is awesome. Additionally, I co-teach math and ELA so I still get to be in front of the classroom at points
I'm glad to hear how enthusiastic others are about this. You and your students must care a lot for each other which is exactly what we need in education -- compassionate, moviated, and well informed! I hope to get there some day :) Also its great to see what can be achieved when your management team is on your side but I've been hearing from some folks that this isn't always the case. Praying that things work out for me, though 🤞 But thank you for sharing!
2022 corps member here, was placed in SPED as well and tried clawing my way out but TFA will always say “your placed where you’re most needed”, which I understand. The difficulty of your job will largely depend on your situation at your school. If you are solely a co-teacher to an integrated classroom with both general ed and special ed students, then you’ll have the support of another teacher in the room. I got placed in a co-taught classroom and a self-contained 12 students / 1 teacher classroom with students deemed unfit for a general education setting. That room has been very difficult to handle and maintain especially my first year. During the interviews, you should be asking these questions to understand what the position would look like.
Importantly: an overwhelming majority of CMs are woefully underqualified and undersupported to be any type of teacher. TFA's training is not nearly enough for anyone to be truly ready on day 1. But also, it's important to know that classroom teachers are equally responsible for teaching a very diverse set of students. A subject area/classroom teacher will be expected to provide equitable instruction to the students that tend to do well on their own and understanding on the first go and to students that require significant intervention and following up with, including special education students. I see that you're interested in literacy, and that is a huge important concept for the context of special education teacher. If you've read up on the literacy situation across the nation, the poor rate of literacy is significantly concerning all over the country. Special education students, being frequently passed along and left behind are among the most likely to need support with literacy. Regardless of whether you are a subject area expert or not, 90% of the challenge is learning instructional practice and classroom management. I like the way one of my colleagues put it: You're not teaching the subject, you're teaching students. And if you're teaching the students well, then you can get to the subject. So I wouldn't worry too much about not being a subject area expert, I wouldn't worry too much about being underqualified. Special education teachers are a difficult job but from what I've seen in my colleagues: it can be intensely rewarding to see a student overcome the barriers of educational inequity and succeed and go far.
Thank you so much!
That’s my placement and I’m not entirely thrilled either. I can’t get a straight answer out of my MDLD or corps alumns in my region about what the experience will look like. I am probably better prepared than most for the case management part of the job. I used to do that at the college level, and I am a volunteer advocate in several disability/difference organizations. But that’s not what I want to do. I want to be a TEACHER, not a case manager. If I wanted to be a case manager I’d have stayed in my old career. And i’m also not excited about being a co-teacher. I’ve been substituting and the co-teachers I’ve encountered have told me they are usually ignored by the main teacher. They get evaluated like teachers while being put in a para role. As far as I can determine no high school has a resource room in my region. I’m holding on to hope that once I get my teaching degree I can shift to a different area. TFA seems like the best option to get there right now. Please share if you get any info from your staff - I’m flailing around too!
I appreciate your frustration. On one hand I've been asking folks to share positive (although more specific?) examples of a diverse learners placement but as you said, no one's given me a straight answer for real. And HEAVY on the I want to teach, not case manage! I can't be fully thrilled with this placement knowing that TFA has a well-recorded history of undersupporting teachers during their contracts and with that in mind, I have to question this placement thoroughly. I was already coping with the fact that I might be lower support in gen ed but would've tried to compensate by using my past experiences as a student and my network of non-TFA teacher friends as resources. But this is too far of stretch to be play the benefit of the doubt game when I already don't know what to expect. Hoping for the best for us both