This post was contributed by Heather Johnson, who is an industry critic on the subject of Alabama teaching certificates. She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.
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Special Education can be one of the most rewarding areas of teaching. Special Ed students need significantly more help than the average student, and often appreciate it much more. Unfortunately, dealing with students who may have severe social, mental, and emotional problems every day can sometimes become quite frustrating. With that being said, I’ve come up with 3 tips for Special Education teachers to help keep calm when dealing with students who can sometimes be particularly frustrating.
1. Remember that they are Special Education students – While this might seem like a no-brainer, it can be very helpful if you actively keep it in mind when dealing with a stubborn, rude, or ungrateful student. While the average student may know what is and isn’t okay to say and do around a teacher, special education students may not. It’s your job to help teach your students proper ways to act, but you cannot approach it in the same way as average students, and therefore cannot expect the same of special education students as average students. While it can be quite upsetting if a student is constantly acting out, you must resist the urge to treat the student as you would someone without any mental deficiencies. Keeping this in mind can often give that extra patience needed to help the student learn the lesson the right way.
2. Take a step back and breathe – If a student is being particularly combative, refusing to work, or simply not getting the point after numerous attempts, it can be a good idea to just take a step back and breathe. Ask the student to continue to work on whatever it is, or ask an aid to come over and help while you cool off. Sometimes it can be difficult to maintain the patience and energy needed to help below-average students all day. Breathing calmly and removing yourself from the situations briefly can be just what your mind and body need to keep going. If you combine this with tip one, you should be feeling much better after a frustrating situation.
3. Take a break and work with another student – If a student is giving you problems, and you find yourself growing frustrated, you can always come back to helping that student later. If the student doesn’t want to cooperate and learn, and you are growing tired of trying, then simply tell them that you’re going to help another student, and that they can get you when they are ready. Of course you can always go back and try again after you are finished helping another student.
The biggest overall idea to take away is that patience is something special education teachers, and parents of students with special needs require a significant amount of. If you find that patience wearing thin, it’s perfectly okay to take a little break from the source of the frustration. Collect you’re thoughts, and when you’re ready, you can go back in and try again. Remembering that your students may have severe mental issues can help you keep things in perspective. Special Education teachers who succeed are the one’s who keep this in mind.
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