What is My Job Title? Special Education Teacher or Inclusive Educator?

In the field of special education, educators wear many different hats. We find ourselves at times being a parental figure, a therapist, a counselor and an advocate while expected to teach our students our curriculum. We as special education teachers are asked to not only teach our students but to help them and their families in every aspect of their life.

“What do you think is the most important part of being a special education teacher?”

I have been asked this question before from colleagues and other professionals. I struggle with this question as there are many parts of the job that are important and can have an impact on my students' day to day activity. Some tasks that come to mind are making sure our lesson plans are differentiated to our students' vast support needs, helping support our students in their general education classes and being a part of their team Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Team. An IEP team consists of an administrator, a student's related service members, school psychologist, counselor, school nurse, a student's family and most importantly the student. Being a case manager for the team it is important to know how the student is doing in every aspect of their life. We as case managers learn meaningful aspects about our students that allow us to be an effective advocate for them in our school and community. An advocate is the most important role as a special education teacher. 

Advocacy is a very important part of teaching in special education. In many current educational systems across our country, having students with extensive support needs in general education classes is not a given. Teachers and students are having to prove to others that they belong in certain settings. It is a student’s right to be included with their peers and unfortunately the current educational system has created many barriers to allow students with extensive support needs to access these settings and be given the support that they need in the class.   Advocacy to me is helping give students with disabilities an equal opportunity to access general education curriculum and to be with their peers in all possible ways. The most important part of my job is helping students with and without disabilities be with each other in the same classes, the lunchroom, and school clubs throughout the week. As a special education teacher our biggest priority is to not worry about our day-to-day lessons but to create an inclusive community for all our students.  As advocacy is a huge part of being a special education teacher, and countless research proves that inclusive education is beneficial for both students with and without disabilities, my title is not one of a special education teacher but rather an inclusive educator. Advocacy for inclusive practices is embedded into my day to day as an educator. My goal is to give access to my students in their grade level classes with their peers. 

With the title of an inclusive educator, it has influenced my work, students, and their families. We are changing mindsets that have been put on students and families by raising expectations, helping students access new settings, and when providing instruction in a center-based setting teaching lessons that are age appropriate. 

My goal to become an inclusive educator is to be an educator who helps give access to all students no matter their support needs. We need to change the way we are teaching by teaching with the least dangerous assumption of our students. We do not know the growth a student can have but we do know if we continue to label our students, put them in a box, and not raise the expectation we will not see them at their full potential. We as educators must think like an inclusive educator and not a special education teacher, or a general education teacher. We are all educators here to teach and support all students with a range of support needs.